User 188207

Sun Microsystems: Burnout or Takeover Target?

When Jon Schwartz took over as CEO he promised to remove the "poison pill" share dilution defense to take-overs. So Sun is a prime target to companies like Apple or maybe a private equity company. Remember the PIPE they got from KKR a while back (see www.sun.com/aboutsun/p...). I believe that Sun can turn around by driving hard at:
1) xVM virtualization to compete with VMWare
2) MySQL subscriptions, storage h/w and online service
3) Software-as-a-Service (Saas) e.g. Project Caroline to compete with Amazon
4) Virtual tape (fronting a tape back-end with disks, e.g. StorageTek 5800)
5) Delivering Rock in early 2009

If they continue to piss around with money wasters like Project DarkStar (gaming server) and Project Looking Glass (3D interface) they'll miss a huge opportunity to get some focus, deliver some value and make some profit.

Finally, the key issue with almost all Sun technologies is usability. Solaris is harder to use than Linux. Java is harder to use than C#, PHP, Ruby, etc. And this problem stems from "expert-mindedness" (experts like 100 bells and whistles, whereas regular folk want to "cut to the chase"). So it's time for a philosophical shift at Sun to drive simpicity and PLEASURE into the whole experience of engaging with the company, it's services and products.