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Reader Viewpoint: Did Sun Have to to Choose "Between Shame and War"?

Reader Viewpoint: Did Sun Have to to Choose "Between Shame and War"?

"The nation had to choose between shame and war. We have chosen shame.We shall get the war as well."
- Winston Churchill, in reply to BritishPrime Minister Chamberlain's "Peace in our time"

First of all the above must be put in perspective to the IBM-Novell Alliance under the Linux flag.

Understandably both Sun and Microsoft feel threatened by the formidable progress Novell has made integrating Linux, Gnome and OpenOffice.org with Novell's desktop services. Both Novell and IBM are shifting many of their own internal desktops over to Linux and Novell CEO has stated at Brainshare that almost all of the desktops used within Novell will be Linux based by early 2005.

It must irk both Sun and Microsoft that IBM and Novell are doing so using technology that both had a part in developing - in Sun's case GNOME and OpenOffice, and in Microsoft's case the Mono clone of .NET.

Aside from the monetary payoffs, the gains for Sun from the terms and conditions do not make any sense for Sun in the long term.

Windows Certification for Sun is the equivalent of hosting hostile enemy bases on your own territory. Sun, like Apple, relies on a separate identity from Microsoft to position itself in the server Market. Windows Certification for Sun hardware is an oxymoron, as it is possible to host Microsoft's OS on more stock standard and cheaper Dell, HP and whitebox hardware, without any significant loss of performance or quality. At least with Solaris and Linux, Sun is able to completely hack, recompile to tune the kernels and libraries to take advantage of any Sun specific hardware.

Interoperation between .NET and Java at the web-service/network layer is already covered by open web standards. Hosting Java code inside .NET's CLR and interfacing to the .NET framework introduces a whole heap of issues which is going to further stuff up Java's "write-once" goals.

Patent cross licensing does not make any sense to either party since both hold enough patents that an exchange of patent lawsuits would be a case of mutually assured destruction.

Sun's agreement to Microsoft Communications Protocol Program represents a real sellout by Sun. Until now, the only major vendors to sign up to the protocol agreement have been Cisco and guess who, The SCO Group ( only after the "investment" by Microsoft ). Even the U.S. Justice Department expressed concern that Microsoft has not completely lived up to its agreement.  Just as with the SCO Group, it appears Microsoft has effectively paid off Sun to accept this agreement.

Of the legal settlements, where Sun that states that "the agreements announced today satisfy the objectives it was pursuing in the EU actions pending against Microsoft", is the reason why the monetary payoff to Sun was so large. Sun was one of the companies that complained to the EU over Microsoft's licensing of CIFS information in a manner incompatible to SAMBA's GPL license.

When the EU Competition Commission initiated the latest investigation against Microsoft in 2001, they included the following in their press release 

The Commission believes that Microsoft may have withheld from vendors of alternative server software key interoperability information that they need to enable their products to 'talk' with Microsoft's dominant PC and server software products. Microsoft may have done this through a combination of refusing to reveal the relevant technical information, and by engaging in a policy of discriminatory and selective disclosure on the basis of a "friend-enemy" scheme. 

The last statement is very important, since the CIFS file and print services software that the protocol complaint was based on is the GPL'ed SAMBA. I don't believe that without Sun's outright acceptance of the Microsoft Protocol agreement, Mario Monti, Competition Commissioner, would even consider any licensing from Microsoft for future required information that would be a licensed in a "friend-enemy" scheme incompatible with the same GPL.

The consumer, like Sun itself, have greatly benefited from the abundance of good quality open source developed and free licensed software, such as SAMBA.

Even Sun's new "Java" desktop environment is GPL'ed Linux and GNOME, the majority of which was developed outside of Sun. GNOME is free for Sun to bundle and sell. Even Sun's Solaris customers directly benefit from an open development enviroment where the infomation required to develop and the right to interoperate remains royalty free.

The press release of Sun does not give much hope that royalty free status will always remain the norm. http://www.sun.com/smi/Press/sunflash/2004-04/sunflash.20040402.3.html

I have publicly defended Sun's record of openess in many public forums. I have praised, encouraged and defended Sun's moves to futher open up the JCP to insure that contributers to the standard grant the right for open source project to implement the standards and for everyone to use the open source licensed implementations royalty free.

The Sun customers have directly benefited from this right to freely interoperate, but for how much longer?

Microsoft treaties with competitors in the long term rarely benefit anyone but Microsoft. Microsoft has screwed over IBM with OS/2, Corel with similar promises with .NET, and Sun itself by creating incompatibilities with their version of Java and not disclosing the fact to developers.

Read the terms and conditions of the current Microsoft Communications Protocol Program, and ask yourself is this deal better than the right to reverse engineer and use the interfaces royalty free? Most of the protocols listed have been derived from royalty free standards and enclosed by Microsoft's minor tweaks.

Sun and Sun's customers are being screwed, and because of the derived government granted intellectual monopoly of patents and copyright maintaining Microsoft's desktop monopoly, so are the rest of the consumers in the market being screwed.

More Stories By David Mohring

David Mohring is a New Zealand-based Linux applications developer.

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Most Recent Comments
History 04/21/04 12:50:52 PM EDT

Sun get married with Microsoft.
Everyone seen it.
Such as people say that "Sun give up his future"
So disappointed.
Where Sun expert can do/go? Goto Microsoft.
There is your home.

Byebye Sun.

David Mohring 04/20/04 08:01:17 PM EDT

Postscript

Sun's COs claim that they need to maintain tight control over the Java library source code and standards to insure Java cross vendor "write-once" portability. This was the main point for Sun's lawsuit against Microsoft. In fact, in the DOJ case the federal appeal court did find that Microsoft had deceived Java developers, which the court decided was in breach of the Sherman Antitust act.

For Sun to call their settlement anything but a sellout, Sun could at least persuaded Microsoft to create or adopt a modern release of Java to replace the 1997 eon MSJava JVM. Instead Microsoft gained the right to extends life of its Java Virtual Machine to December 31, 2007.
http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1104-5191477.html

Microsoft have stated that it will not be improving ( or updating ) the old JVM and Microsoft's J# "upgrade path" still uses non-standard interfaces for GUI's and .NET libraries. This leaves Microsoft free to play the old "standard" embrace, extend and enclose anti-competitive tactics.

Sun' s James Gosling claims, in response to this article and some "slashdot flamage" by the same author...
http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=103964&cid=8856364
... ,that though the new settlement, Sun has gained the right to selectively access Microsoft's Communications Protocol Program.
http://today.java.net/jag/page7.html#60
This ablity to selectively pick and choose and other "flexabilities" was a detail left out of Sun's press release, and more interestingly, the recent joint status report on Microsoft's complicance with the US DOJ final antitrust judgement.
http://www.sun.com/smi/Press/sunflash/2004-04/sunflash.20040402.3.html
http://www.usdoj.gov/atr/cases/f203200/203264.htm

The EU Competition Commision still has some questions for Microsoft on the disclosure of interface information.
http://europa.eu.int/rapid/start/cgi/guesten.ksh?p_action.gettxt=gt&doc=MEMO/04/70|0|RAPID&lg=EN&display=

Macro 04/17/04 11:11:35 PM EDT

Case is so simple.
If Sun help Microsoft to win/monopoly in the market,
it is a problem.
Although Sun do good on Open Source in the past, Sun help Microsoft to compete/monolopy in the market now.
Everyone seen that.

What Sun want to do? Give up Java and let Microsoft to join JCP to destory Java. What Sun really want to do?

Think that :
If everyone give up Microsoft Windows Server, on that time Sun can sell more server in the market.
If everyone enjoy Microsoft Windows Server, on that time Sun can sell products in where???

"Now Microsoft Windows Server" sales volume increase year by year? Have Sun seen that??? Not because of it is good. Because Microsoft is monolopy in the market.

At the end, Sun Solaris still loss the market and cannot survey. Sun know that. Then Sun still help Microsoft and give up Java. What have Sun wanted to do??? Give up its Future.

After Microsoft own the whole markets, where Sun can go?
Sell High Tech? Noway. Microsoft will say "Window is better and cheaper than Solaris"

On that time, can Sun earn billion dollars again? Absolutely, no.
On That time, what Sun's Bond Holder can get?
On that time, every revenue go to Microsoft.
On that time, where Sun's Expert can do? Go to Microsoft such as Borland's expert goto Microsoft now.

What is Sun Future? Hopeless.

David Mohring 04/17/04 10:20:24 PM EDT

On April 15, James Gosling wrote in his today.java.net blog
http://today.java.net/jag/page7.html#60

"While it is true that as a part of it we did sign up for Microsoft's Communications Protocol Program that is a part of the US v. Microsoft case, our full agreement both modifies and expands on it to give us a much more broad and useful agreement. It is important to understand that in no way does this lock Sun or Sun customers into interoperating with any Microsoft system on Microsoft's strict terms. Right now, most of our interoperability is achieved through reverse-engineering. We have the option, entirely at our discretion, to access Microsoft's specifications through the collaboration agreement. But before we do so, on a case-by-case basis, we will do an analysis of the business case for the entanglements that such access implies (principally confidentiality and royalties). Right now, the vast majority of the software that we (Sun) produce has free and open specifications and we provide the implementations of a large and growing fraction of it as open source. We are not going to slow down our involvement in the open source community. Right now we have launched no projects that will access any Microsoft specifications under the agreement - we simply have the option to, if we decide that the benefits outweigh the costs."

Macro 04/08/04 12:56:34 PM EDT

Sun is given up its future
So disappointed.
"Sun now" is not same as "Sun past".
Sun only want to earn money and close to Miocrosoft. Too sad.
Right. Can Sun sell Solars cheaper than Dell's Computer?
In future, MicsroSoft own everything, then where Sun's bonds holder & Sun Expert can do╱go? 

Monica 04/08/04 12:09:10 PM EDT

I think links on blogs will not be counted anymore by google, just like guestbooks. I've been watching some sites that had hundreds of links from weblogs. Now google displays only a few links to these sites when you seach for backward links. adolescente - adulti - bilder - blasen - blonde - camere - celebritati - chiloti - cur-anal-anus - dezbracate - dragoste - ejaculare - erotice-erotica-erotic - fantasia - femei - fete - fierbinti - filme - foto - fotografii - fotomodel - frumoase - fut_futai_futut - gagici - galerii-galerie-galleria - gay - goale - gratis - gratuit - gratuite - große - grup - imagini - chat - jucarii - kennwort - lenjerie - lesben - masturbation - modell - nue-nues-nuda-nudo-nudi-naakt-nud - pagini - pamela_anderson - pizda-pizde - playboy - poezii - porno - povestiri - poze - pula - romania - sex - sexy_sexi - single - site - stern - titten - vedete - xxx

Man 04/07/04 11:12:39 AM EDT

Sun is given up its future.
It is right that :
After M$ own the whole markets, where Sun can go?
Sell High Tech? Noway. M$ will say "Window is better and cheaper than Solars"

On that time, can Sun earn billion dollars again? Absolutely, no.
On That time, what Sun's bond holder can get?
On that time, every revenue go to M$.
On that time, where Sun's Expert can do? Go to M$ such as Borland's expert goto M$ now.

What is Sun Future? Hopeness

Fecal Extrusion 04/06/04 09:15:58 PM EDT

Underneath it all, this is all about collaborating on
the next revision/incarnation of Java, and 'not sharing
the details' with the Linux community. ...just watch...

Whenever Bill Gates or Steve Ballmer shake hands with
someone, that handshake is analogous to being read your
last rights (like a death sentence, or like 'the godfather'
was sealing your fate with a kiss), you just KNOW it is
a matter of time before the person they shook hands with
will be left for dead bleeding in a gutter somewhere.
(and I mean that in the 'business' sense).

In all the history of Microsoft, there has never been a
partnership that didn't eventualy go sour, or that Microsoft
didn't somehow end up screwing and crushing the partner.
Well Sun, it was nice while it lasted. My condolences on
your inevitable loss.

David Mohring 04/06/04 04:55:42 PM EDT

Stephen Shankland has posted some interesting responses from Sun folks and Gartner...
Sun says Microsoft pact not a blow to standards
http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1104-5185959.html

Open Source 04/06/04 03:48:05 AM EDT

Sun is give up its future.

What can Sun do in future?
Solars can compete with Dell's cheaper computer?
After everything is M$, where Sun can go?
Can Sun earn billion dollars again? Absolutely, no.
What can Sun's bond holder can get? Nothing in future.

On that time, every revenue go to M$.
Where Sun's Expert can do? Go to M$ such as Borland's expert goto M$ now.
What is Sun Future?

ddt001 04/05/04 01:56:05 PM EDT

I think that M$ just focus on java. As we know, many people ask sun distributing java to open source, but now sun cannot do that because M$ can pay money for java license. If sun can get money from java, no one can use java "free". Then M$ can control java indirectly.

Today, there are many server side running on java, if sun ask the servers who use java pay money, then the server company maybe stop using linux.

Another problem is that M$ can ask java just run on M$ windows and UNIX which belone to $CO because they can pay money to sun.

So, there sould have some program for linux that has java function.

Guke Fates 04/05/04 09:15:35 AM EDT

SUN and M$ have now validated what those in the industry already KNOW, these guys are TOAST for the lack of an open systems philosophy. Linux will be the sea change that will wash over both of these power house companies... SUN just blew it with Linux, M$ just blows with propritary tactics that they just can't stop... Is it any wonder these were the first two companies to support SCO? SUN already purchased a purpetual license many years ago from Novell for Unix source code. Why did they need more IP from SCO? M$ is just gunna end up giving away there ill gotten monopolistic gains... Lil'Ole Novell is the NEW power house on the planet with the open source wisdom and the enterprise software services. Buy Suse...