Xandros: A Desktop for the Masses?
MadPenguin features a review of Xandros Desktop accompanied by screenshots.
Oracle and SUN Archive
Sun Steps Up Linux (Lightly)
Sun Microsystems made strides this week with its Linux strategy, releasing updated Sun ONE compiler code for both its low-end SPARC and Intel's x86 platforms, and adopting common Linux distributions instead of pushing its own version.
Sun Sets a New Course; Sun to use AMD Opteron?
Sun looks to spice up its product lines with new "Enchilada" servers, a storage management component for its N1 Data Platform and collaboration software that includes its own instant messenger. Can CEO Scot McNealy chart his company out of the shadows?
Review of Xandros Desktop by Linurati.net
From the review: "As a linux user for the past three years, I have used a lot of distributions, and read many different reviews. Most of those reviews spend a lot of time on the installation, and give details of which versions of the gcc compiler, kernel, xfree86, KDE, and Gnome are included. This is not one of those reviews. This is the kind of review I wish I'd had when I was still looking for just the right distro. This is the review that says "Here is your linux distribution. Just install it, and your stuff will work."'
Sun Looking to AMD for 64-Bit while their Linux Desktop is on Track
Sun Microsystems may be planning to drop its private-label version of Linux for servers, but the company is still on track with a Linux-based desktop system that should hit the market this summer, the company said. However, eWeek says that Sun has no plans to support Linux or Solaris on Intel Corp. Itanium systems, but the company is evaluating AMD's upcoming Opteron processors, Sun officials said on Monday.
Domain Authentication Sets Xandros Desktop Apart
In part one in a series of chats with key members of the Xandros team, DesktopLinux.com gives you an insider's view of the Xandros project philosophy and architecture. Oleg Noskov, Xandros software development manager, talks about domain authentication -- one of the essential keys to integrating with, and eventually migrating from, existing Windows networking infrastructures.
Sun Drops Its Linux Distribution
In a major strategy shift, Sun will stop offering its own customized version of Linux and will instead turn to several other standard Linux distributions.
Architecting the Future: Interview with Dr. Marc Tremblay
Late last month, Sun held a press conference detailing its microprocessor roadmap, featuring a range of chips including the current UltraSPARC III, the dual-core UltraSPARC IV, the SMT-based UltraSPARC V, and the highly multithreaded Niagara processor. Last week Ace's Hardware had the chance to sit down with Dr. Marc Tremblay and discuss some of the new processors and technologies on Sun's roadmap for the future.
Sun’s Neil Knox Weighs in on Blades, Linux and Strategy
Although it's among the market leaders in the low-end server business, Sun Microsystems Inc. has in recent years been known much more for its success at the high end. In this interview with Computer World, Neil Knox, executive vice president of Sun's volume systems product group, talked about his company's recent blade-server product launch, its emerging throughput computing strategy and Linux.
Xandros: a Pleasant Experience
"Xandros Desktop is a Linux distribution aimed squarely at the desktop user. It is based on Corel Linux which itself was based on Debian. Corel sold its Linux distribution to Xandros when it decided to stop marketing it. Xandros has delivered a pleasing experience for the newcomer, both in terms of performance and visual appeal." Sam Varghese reviews Xandros Desktop.
Sun Eyes Alliances with Linux Rivals
Sun Microsystems is considering striking up partnerships with mainstream Linux sellers such as Red Hat and SuSE--a move that would turn them into an ally, rather than a rival, of those companies.
Rumor Says Xandros in Bad Shape But Product Development Goes On
F*ckedCompany reports that "rumor has it Xandros is on life support... word is some employees haven't been paid in over two months". However, OSNews reader Dennis Baptista was able to get information directly from Xandros about the future products that Xandros is preparing: "There are two versions of the Xandros server product - a deployment server (Xandros Networks Enterprise) and a general purpose server. The deployment server is targeted towards the fall time frame while the general purpose will follow after that." Support Xandros here.
McNealy: Sun Reduces the Complexity
Recently, Sun Microsystems Inc. hosted its annual analyst conference in San Francisco. The company faces high-end competition from IBM Global Services and low-end competition from companies including Dell Computer Corp. offering clustered systems running the Linux operating system. While not dismissive of the threats posed by the competition, Sun President Scott McNealy in a one-hour interview with eWEEK Editor-in-Chief Eric Lundquist and Labs Director John Taschek contended that the company is poised to capitalize on the research and development efforts launched over the past several years.
Sun Executive Details New Utility-Based Pricing Model For Solaris
Sun Microsystems' software chief on Tuesday unveiled details of Project Orion, the company's utility-based pricing model for its Solaris operating system. Slated for rollout in June, Orion will build all of Sun's software into the Solaris OS and offer a yearly subscription for Solaris, Jonathan Schwartz, Sun's executive vice president of software, said at the vendor's Worldwide Analyst Conference.
Sun to Simplify its Software
Sun Microsystems will build its entire collection of software into a single, gigantic version of its Solaris operating system and release updates once a quarter, Sun's top software executive said Tuesday.
Sun Picks AMD’s Athlon for Blades
"Sun Microsystems will use processors from Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) in future blade servers that it first announced on Feb. 10. Sun will use Athlon XP-M processors, originally developed for mobile computing, running at 1.2GHz or 1.4GHz." Read more at InfoWorld.
How to Avoid the Almost Certain End of Sun Microsystems
"Sun did not invent the engineering workstation, but they certainly perfected it. But where are workstations today? Gone, for the most part. Sun's workstation business is about the same size as SGI's, which is to say small. Sun is now a server company, but that won't last long either under the onslaught of Linux. Cheap Intel and AMD hardware running Linux is going to kill Sun unless the company does something so stop it, which they aren't." Cringely editorializes on Sun's future.
Sun’s Schwartz: ‘We’re Back in Force’
With Java, StarOffice, Solaris and Linux all on the verge of major breakthroughs (or busts), Sun Executive Vice President Jonathan Schwartz has a lot on his mind. Since shifting over from his role as Sun's Chief Strategy Officer last July, Schwartz has been revving up the Sun software engine, which had lost ground in several critical areas, including development tools, application servers and dealing with Linux. In a dinner conversation that carried over to a subsequent e-mail exchange, eWEEK's John Taschek asked Schwartz about the threat of Linux and how Sun will cope with Dell as a competitor.
Linux is Giving Sun a Burn
"When Sun Microsystems got started in 1982, companies such as Wang and Data General dominated the hardware business. In less than a decade, this upstart Unix outfit was a billion-dollar-plus phenom while the once-mighty minicomputer makers had been consigned to irrelevance." Read the commentary on ZDNews and a comment a few days ago, explaining Sun's Linux strategy, which is different of what IBM, DELL or HP does with Linux. Also, another Sun article says that Java servers feel the open source heat.
Solaris, Java Had Growing Pains
"Sun Microsystems' Java software and Solaris operating system haven't always gotten along, an internal memo indicates, but Sun says it has fixed the problems in the two years since the memo was written. The version of Java for Solaris is a poor choice for many types of programs, is slow to load, isn't well-supported within Sun and requires too much memory to run, several Sun engineers said in the memo." Read the rest at ZDNet.