Disclosure: I used to work for Sun and despite myself (like Joe I think) I still don't want to see them die.
@Karsten. I follow your reasoning if the future is shrink wrapped software and you're right, Sun don't follow this. However, check out Simon Phipps on FLOSS Weekly 39 [1] to see what Sun *do* think it is. I honestly think things are changing in the marketplace. Just look at the rise of cloud computing, IBM trying to change the way it works with Jazz (which I know went down badly among that audience but try it out and more importantly look at how they're running the development) and MSFT slowly getting more and more OSS friendly. Sun might be ahead of the curve too much and die before this all comes to fruition (think "the network is the computer") but even if this happens I think history might be kinder on them than Wall Street is now... Or perhaps I'm dreaming. ;-) Regs, Andrew [1] http://twit.tv/floss39 On Nov 15, 11:41 pm, Joe Data <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > On Nov 15, 2:01 pm, Patrick Wright <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > Java, broken out in terms of revenue, has brought in around $220 million per > > year for the last couple of years (no details before that). Not > > knowing the costs involved, and just guessing, it seems like a pretty > > tidy sum of money, which should more than cover the costs involved. I > > think it must also be pretty clear to Sun that ignoring or "letting > > Java die" in some way would be killing one of the golden geese at the > > company, if nothing else in terms of branding. I can't imagine it, > > anyhow. > > It's a general assumption that Sun doesn't make money from Java, other > companies do (like IBM or Oracle), and the numbers support this. Sun > has an operating system, a database, Java, and middleware and made > $124mln the last quarter from all its software group. IBM has > operating systems, a database, system management software, and > middleware and makes 5.2 bln last quarter (42 times as > much,http://www.ibm.com/investor/3q08/presentation/3q08.pdf, slide 8) with > a gross margin of 84.7% (that's pretty nearly a Microsoft Windows or > Office margin). Nothing in the IT industry is as profitable as selling > "shrink-wrapped software", a business that Sun got out by giving its > software away. > > Karsten --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "The Java Posse" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/javaposse?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
