Sun's Linux Desktop Expected to be Launched Soon By ChannelTimes Staff International Desk, January 25, 2003 Sun Microsystems' alternative to Windows-desktop PCs is scheduled for a launch very soon, slipping from Q1, with the company also preparing to change the system's proposed route to market. Sun declared recently that its Linux desktop, codenamed "Mad Hatter" will ship this summer. Earlier, the company had mentioned that shipment was expected in the first quarter of 2003.
But Sun has denied that a delay had occurred, insisting it was "on target". A "Mad Hatter" beta is now planned after a few months, but Sun did not provide a precise date. The company did reveal, though, that it will deliver "Mad Hatter" in a multi-tier strategy. Vice president of engineering for desktop solutions Curtis Sasaki said that Sun will offer the desktop, a combination of the company's ONE software and Intel-based hardware, via original equipment manufacturers and value added resellers. Sun originally envisaged sales through the company's global sales organization, Sasaki said. He attributed the changes to the level of interest Sun received in the device. "We are talking to OEMs and PC manufacturers. We will have a broader distribution strategy than when we first talked about it," he said. Sasaki added Sun would also repurpose enterprise customers' existing hardware to use the Sun ONE desktop software stack, if asked. Details of the system's configuration and price, though, are still being played close to Sun's chest. Sasaki said the PC would at least use a Pentium III processor, adding hardware must be robust enough to last the duration of an average corporate customer's buying cycle. "It won't be a low-end device because the PCs have to last for three to four years," he said. Sasaki added price had yet to be finalized but that it will be "very competitive". --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.445 / Virus Database: 250 - Release Date: 1/21/03 -- To unsubscribe, send mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the body "unsubscribe ilug-cal" and an empty subject line. FAQ: http://www.ilug-cal.org/node.php?id=3
