1. RE: [OT] New Desktop OS?
C. K. Lester wrote:
> The article says "$100 per user per year..." For what, you ask? "Now
> carrying the moniker Sun Java Desktop System, the SuSE-powered system
> includes the GNOME desktop environment, Sun's own StarOffice 7
> application
> suite, the Mozilla Web browser, and other open-source utilities,
> including
> media players from RealNetworks and Macromedia."
>
> Okay, so it's Linux with some Java apps?!?!? sheesh. This marketplace is
> psychotic!!! :)
It seems like a good move to me. The $100 / year inclues support.
Something MS don't do very well (or at all in most cases). If Sun do
a good in support the $100 / year is a bargin (for corporate
customers - it's not aimed at individuals).
Ray Smith
http://rays-web.com
2. RE: [OT] New Desktop OS?
C. K. Lester wrote:
> > > Who's their market?
> >
> > Their market is medium to large businesses.
> > Businesses who want to be able to predict and control
> > their costs.
>
> Then I ask again... what's the pitch?
>
> "Dump your entire computer system and buy ours. Sure, you'll lose all
> your
> legacy apps (or have to pay to upgrade them), and any data files you had
> in
> a M$ proprietary format will have to be discarded or redone, but, hey!
> At
> least we're cheaper!"
>
> Trust me... I can't wait for M$ to be gone forever and for good... but
> trying to bring down the behemoth will ill-made plans doesn't seem right
> to
> me. They aren't showing me an easy migration path if I'm entrenched in
> M$
> hell... I need an easy way out that's also cheap. :)
My guess ...
It's designed for large corporate users who may only have a handfull
of applications company wide. Many of these applicatons "may"
already be client/server based or written in cross platform code.
The story is Telstra (Australia's largest telco and a hudge I.T. user
and also a huge user of current Sun technology) has/will use the new
Sun desktop OS. The last time this was rumoured (6 months ago)
Steve Balmer was on the next flight down under. I haven't heard of
him coming this time (yet).
As Linux on the desktop has shown, it will take many many years for
any competitor to gain even a small percentage of the desktop market
from MS. My guess is that we won't see any "major" percentage share
away from MS desktops for 5-10 years.
All I know is given a choice I would rather NOT use Windows.
At home I'm a Linux freek using Mandrake, Mozilla, Open Office,
Python etc ... but I still come to work each day and sit in front
of Windows XP, use MS Outlook, MS development tools, MS SQL,
MS Access, MS Office etc etc.
I beleive one of the critical strategies for opposing Microsoft is
the use of cross platform development tools. The more developers
(i.e. and end user applications) that use cross platform development
tools means the eaiser it is for people to swap from one OS to
another.
Before I swapped to Linux at home I was already using Mozilla,
OpenOffice and Python. When I finally got my act together and got
Linux working (not an easy job!) I was already familiar with most of
the apps since I've been using them on Windows for over a year.
You also say ...
"I can't wait for M$ to be gone forever and for good"
I don't think this will happen in my (or your) lifetime.
There can't be good without evil! (tongue in cheek)
Regards,
Ray Smith
http://rays-web.com
3. RE: [OT] New Desktop OS?
> From: C. K. Lester
>
> > And with Microsoft planning to force new purchases
> > on everyone in a couple of years, they can probably
> > see how it will be cheaper to pay Sun (or any good
> > Java programmer) to re-write those legacy apps.
>
> "they can probably see" means Sun needs a sales department to
> "help them see," because, in my own personal experience in my
> business, 90% of my customers are stu- I mean ignorant- of
> all things PC and OS, and they'll buy the M$ marketing
> message, which is "it's too difficult to switch; everybody
> uses our products so you better, too; etc..."
I would also suspect that they're trying to take a page out of IBM's book
(who is selling Linux to companies). Heck, they might even want IBM to
start selling Sun's stuff. If they can be successful enough, it could
happen.
Matt Lewis
4. RE: [OT] New Desktop OS?
Matt Lewis wrote:
> I would also suspect that they're trying to take a page out of IBM's
> book
> (who is selling Linux to companies).
I didn't think IBM where selling Linux? I thought they were using
standard Linux distributers. IBM are doing huge amounts of work
on Linux ... but I didn't think they are selling it. They are selling
lots of hardware and services!!! (I am probably wrong!)
>Heck, they might even want IBM to
> start selling Sun's stuff. If they can be successful enough, it could
> happen.
Aren't Sun and IBM fierce competitors? I imagine the only time they
would co-operate if it was at the expensive of MS ... so I guess,
yes it may happen ;)
Regards,
Ray Smith
http://rays-web.com
5. RE: [OT] New Desktop OS?
> From: Ray Smith
>
> > I would also suspect that they're trying to take a page out of IBM's
> > book (who is selling Linux to companies).
>
> I didn't think IBM where selling Linux? I thought they were
> using standard Linux distributers. IBM are doing huge
> amounts of work on Linux ... but I didn't think they are
> selling it. They are selling lots of hardware and services!!!
> (I am probably wrong!)
That's what I meant by 'selling Linux': convincing customers to invest in
it, and then getting said customers to pay IBM for support, integration,
etc.
> > Heck, they might even want IBM to start selling Sun's stuff.
> > If they can be successful enough, it could happen.
>
> Aren't Sun and IBM fierce competitors? I imagine the only
> time they would co-operate if it was at the expensive of MS
> ... so I guess, yes it may happen ;)
If Sun proves to be a viable alternative, and IBM thinks it can make
money...
Matt Lewis
6. RE: [OT] New Desktop OS?
- Posted by eugtk at yahoo.com
Sep 18, 2003
--- Ray Smith <smithr at ix.net.au> wrote:
> Aren't Sun and IBM fierce competitors? I imagine the
> only time they
> would co-operate if it was at the expensive of MS
> ... so I guess,
> yes it may happen ;)
"The enemy of my enemy is my friend"
Any company which wants to survive has to first be
sure that Microsoft doesn't realize its plans for
world domination.
Irv
