"Today Sun extends its position as the top contributor of code to the free and open source software community by donating its storage software code to the OpenSolaris Project. This will enable community members to combine OpenSolaris with hardware from any source to create new storage solutions at a fraction of the price of traditional proprietary storage vendors."
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Member since:2005-07-06
I think it's about the complete solution(how's that for a circa 1999 buzz word), rather than trying to piece together open source variants. Most companies that aren't IT companies tend to lean towards the complete package. In Sun's case, they can provide the software, hardware, and support. I'm starting to realize that there's probably an inverse relationship between open source community support and the higher you get with open source in terms of enterprise use. So, Open Office gets far more public support than a Sun derived iScsi target module for instance.
At any rate, it's still cool stuff. I'm starting to get more interested in storage. I'm pushing hard for an iScsi based cluster at work using Novell's software.
Edited 2007-04-14 02:32
Member since:2005-07-06
I wouldn't agree, those who contribute to OpenOffice.org probably have a different interest in regards to software development.
I mean, if you're going to make that statement, then wouldn't it hold true to the number of opensource applications out there being developed which are merely duplicates of each other - why have khtml when there is gecko?
Different people are attracted to different things, relating to the iSCSI module, those who programme in that *could* contribute to OpenOffice.org, but have no real interest in the technology - its too 'boring'.
For Sun, they'll find that as their community grows so will the number of contributors. Sun doesn't expect these contributors to replace full time programmers but instead help boost the development effort to push OpenSolaris forward at a faster pace.
Member since:
2005-12-15
Not all their products are opened up. A lot of Sun products are still pay-for. The hardware is also another source, as is support contracts. They offer contracts to support entire data centres, which definitely wouldn't be cheap.