Sun begins Sparc phase of server overhaul

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Making money on a $0 product.

Solaris is free. So I was surprised to read:

And though Sun prefers to emphasize unit shipments--a number that corresponds more directly with another part of Sun's recovery play, potential software sales--there, too, it lagged its top three rivals and the overall market.

Notice that's not services, that's software itself.
Doesn't make much sense.

But the statement could have made sense:

Both systems require Sun's newest operating system, Solaris 10.

So if Sun were still selling Solaris, that $100 million in revenue the company gave up (in order to surrender some control) might have increased.

And the statement about "both systems" is also confusing. Here's another quote:

Now the race is on to see which of Sun's two new server lines fares better as Sun tries to regain its footing. "He (Yen) has got a new-age processor going into a hungry, installed base. I've got a great x86 system that can run any operating system," said John Fowler, head of Sun's x86 server group.

So what does "both systems" mean?


And, pace my other comments about "narratives", an IBM representative is thinking about the same issue:

"Right now, it's kind of a niche product--it's a big damn niche to be sure, but still a niche. I think Sun needs a compelling story for general-purpose computing in order to return to health, and I just don't see that right now."

Well, the story would be more compelling with a subplot about software sales, but that has been edited out.

Posted by: Anton Philidor   Posted on: 12/06/05 You are currently: a Guest | Members login | Terms of Use

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