ZDNet: Sun Bets Its Future on Java

“Sun’s recent moves towards supporting Linux might feel like a
warm embrace for the open source movement. But it has much more to
do with supporting anything that will enhance the Java
ecosystem.

“Sun CEO Scott McNealy has a cadre of advisors that’s akin to
Bush’s cabinet. If there were such a job as Secretary of
Technology, Sun Chief Engineer Rob Gingell would probably have that
title. Within McNealy’s cabinet, the 17-year Sun veteran has been a
catalyst for change, and probably not a very popular one.

“Four years ago, Gingell started to advocate the idea of open
sourcing Solaris, Sun’s version of the Unix operating system. The
very idea must have been considered heresy. For Sun’s entire
history, Solaris and the hardware it’s married to–the SPARC
microprocessor–have been the crown jewels of the company. You can
imagine how the mere suggestion of open sourcing one half of the
franchise might have been looked upon as ludicrous…”

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