Sun Microsystems Inc is looking to expand its Intel Corp-compatible processor-based server line and is also drawing up a list of OEM partners for its Solaris x86 Unix operating system for Intel-compatible servers, indicating a new level of commitment to the reborn operating system, Matthew Aslett writes.
Sun Lines up OEMs for Reborn Solaris on Intel
About The Author
Eugenia Loli
Ex-programmer, ex-editor in chief at OSNews.com, now a visual artist/filmmaker.
Follow me on Twitter @EugeniaLoli
If Sun is releasing Solaris for x86, what’s the use of Linux in their x86 servers?
I guess (this is pure speculation though) that they will be pushing Linux for the low-end and Solaris for the high-end or use x86-Solaris as a means of migration between x86 and sparc-based setups.
Sun’s a big company and there’s probably quite an element of internal politics involved. Very similar to what we saw with IBM and OS/2, one group supported it and another wanted to kill it off.
I think there’s two market sun is after :
1) Server Market, Linux is needed here in the entry line so Sun can sell only a hardware solution, no software support, no software licence, hence price for the machine goes Down. If the machine is not strong enough then sun says to customer It should buy middle/upper model with Solaris and the appropriate support and add-ons …. => being in the lower/entry server market is a good way to sell higher/pricier system/servers.
2) The second use of Solaris, Sun machine is development. Many “big” compagnies do their development in java theses days, no better platform for java then Sun. The problem is now a cost problem. If you have a Good Solaris server , you also need your devs to have some workstation running solaris. Buying 20 sun workstation is ok but buying 200+ sun workstation is not ok anymore => hence the need for Solaris x86.
—
http://islande.hirlimann.net
1) Server Market, Linux is needed here in the entry line so Sun can sell only a hardware solution, no software support
Uhmmm, the last I checked, Sun Linux 5.0 (don’t blame me for the stupid version number, obviously to catch up with NT’s) comes with the same level of software support as low end Solaris….
Obviously Sun is jumping on the Linux bandwagon.
No company out there really wants to sell Linux. Everyone would rather sell their own OS. Their Linux offerings are an attempt to grab a percentage of the business they lost all ready.
Sun isn’t betting on the superiority of one technology over another but rather will go with whatever platforms the market moves towards. If the economy doesn’t recover quickly (or quickly enough), then price is definitely a concern, and having an offering such as Solaris on Intel or a low-end Sun-branded Linux might be a smart idea, even if ultimately it’s a stop gap measure.
Whatever the rationale is, I think the consumers win if the end result is that they can pick and choose a system according to price and performance and get the same quality of support and service.
-d.
Solaris on Intel hardware is slow and it has few software bundled. I used older versions and confirmed the “Slowlaris” name …
The only use I see for Solaris on Intel is to permit development of Solaris applications easily.
Other issue is lack of device drivers and desktop applications. And if you use also free softwares you can run the same applications more easy on any linux distribution or *BSD.