Chris Mahan([EMAIL PROTECTED])@Thu, Nov 29, 2007 at 09:49:31PM -0800: > > I look forward to the discussion this is going to generate, namely: > can Sun do the same to OpenSolaris, and if not, why not, what's > preventing them. I'm looking for sound legal reasons, not Sun's > goodwill.
1) The cited project hasn't been closed down, just restructured (along with other large chunks of Sun recently). 2) OpenSolaris' licensing has resulted in all released code effectively being "in the wild" - those horses have bolted. 3) Development of OpenSolaris isn't just spread across two or three Sun offices, which could be readily consolidated like the Directory Services projects have been. It really is a worldwide development process, so all Sun could do is reassign developers to other projects which still wouldn't prevent those developers from contributing privately. 4) From a PR point of view, shutting down OpenSolaris would be foolhardy at best. Sun management are well aware of what happened to The SCO Group and a public backlash from the FOSS community is a serious issue these days. 5) The OpenSolaris Project provides a very real vector for future Sun growth. By introducing Solaris to a wider user base than that traditionally generated through the employees of existing clients, they have a natural entry point into market segments not usually targetted. Small to medium enterprises, for example, may now start acquiring low end Sun servers and/or thin client services if their IT staff/consultants are already aware of the benefits through working with OpenSolaris. 6) There's no real market value in selling the operating system alone. Not with the development of the many GNU/Linux distributions and a solid base of GNU/BSD systems already freely available. The operating system's value is only realised in conjunction with the hardware it leverages. It's not a matter of "Sun's goodwill," regardless of how Sun's attitude may be spun that way, it's simply enlightened self-interest. Regards, Ben P.S. Disclaimer: I am currently contracted to Sun Microsystems via a third party. All opinion is my own and not speaking in any way for Sun (hence the post from my home address). Neither am I speaking for any of the FOSS organisations I am involved with at an organisational level (e.g. Open Source Victoria) or have been involved with in the past (e.g. Linux Users of Victoria).
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