Comments on: IBM Targeting Sun for Takeover: Linux, MySQL Potential Winners http://www.thevarguy.com/2009/03/18/ibm-targeting-sun-for-takeover-linux-mysql-potential-winners/ Channel News, Reseller News and Channel Partner Programs Fri, 10 Feb 2012 12:00:23 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: The VAR Guy http://www.thevarguy.com/2009/03/18/ibm-targeting-sun-for-takeover-linux-mysql-potential-winners/comment-page-1/#comment-98389 The VAR Guy Mon, 23 Mar 2009 23:27:36 +0000 http://www.thevarguy.com/2009/03/18/ibm-targeting-sun-for-takeover-linux-mysql-potential-winners/#comment-98389 The VAR Guy must concede: He never tried Solaris... but the OS sure has loyal fans. Interesting <a href="http://news.cnet.com/openroad/" rel="nofollow">follow-up post</a> from Matt Asay over on CNet, who argues IBM can teach Sun a few things about open source. The VAR Guy must concede: He never tried Solaris… but the OS sure has loyal fans. Interesting follow-up post from Matt Asay over on CNet, who argues IBM can teach Sun a few things about open source.

]]> By: aikiwolfie http://www.thevarguy.com/2009/03/18/ibm-targeting-sun-for-takeover-linux-mysql-potential-winners/comment-page-1/#comment-98378 aikiwolfie Mon, 23 Mar 2009 17:47:13 +0000 http://www.thevarguy.com/2009/03/18/ibm-targeting-sun-for-takeover-linux-mysql-potential-winners/#comment-98378 A little Solaris DNA injected into Linux would make it scalable on a level it just can't quite do at the moment. If IBM gets a hold on Sun it's all good me thinks. A little Solaris DNA injected into Linux would make it scalable on a level it just can’t quite do at the moment. If IBM gets a hold on Sun it’s all good me thinks.

]]> By: Bogdan Bivolaru http://www.thevarguy.com/2009/03/18/ibm-targeting-sun-for-takeover-linux-mysql-potential-winners/comment-page-1/#comment-98332 Bogdan Bivolaru Sun, 22 Mar 2009 18:54:38 +0000 http://www.thevarguy.com/2009/03/18/ibm-targeting-sun-for-takeover-linux-mysql-potential-winners/#comment-98332 Whaaat about Java? I think Java as a platform has a lot to gain from this. Netbeans and Eclipse teams have done a lot of good things, but joined I think they would do a better job than now. There was an attempt to merge the two apps, but so far neither company would make license concessions to the other. This would be a great way to counter act .Net. Whaaat about Java?

I think Java as a platform has a lot to gain from this.
Netbeans and Eclipse teams have done a lot of good things, but joined I think they would do a better job than now. There was an attempt to merge the two apps, but so far neither company would make license concessions to the other. This would be a great way to counter act .Net.

]]> By: The VAR Guy http://www.thevarguy.com/2009/03/18/ibm-targeting-sun-for-takeover-linux-mysql-potential-winners/comment-page-1/#comment-98156 The VAR Guy Fri, 20 Mar 2009 00:20:29 +0000 http://www.thevarguy.com/2009/03/18/ibm-targeting-sun-for-takeover-linux-mysql-potential-winners/#comment-98156 Frank: You offer some intriguing thoughts. And yes, the more The VAR Guy thinks about this the more this is mainly a way for IBM to consolidate the industry and gain account control at a relatively low price. During the dot-com boom Sun's market cap was $200 billion. Then, Sun imploded. Now, IBM's offer represents a major (80%?) premium over where Sun's shares had been trading. But it's still a cheap buy... comparatively speaking. Frank: You offer some intriguing thoughts. And yes, the more The VAR Guy thinks about this the more this is mainly a way for IBM to consolidate the industry and gain account control at a relatively low price. During the dot-com boom Sun’s market cap was $200 billion. Then, Sun imploded. Now, IBM’s offer represents a major (80%?) premium over where Sun’s shares had been trading. But it’s still a cheap buy… comparatively speaking.

]]> By: Frank Bernhardt http://www.thevarguy.com/2009/03/18/ibm-targeting-sun-for-takeover-linux-mysql-potential-winners/comment-page-1/#comment-98155 Frank Bernhardt Fri, 20 Mar 2009 00:15:59 +0000 http://www.thevarguy.com/2009/03/18/ibm-targeting-sun-for-takeover-linux-mysql-potential-winners/#comment-98155 VAR Guy: "But do you really see IBM maintaining two separate Unix development teams (AIX and Solaris) if the Sun acquisition occurs?" I wasn't questioning whether IBM was going to maintain AIX, Solaris and Linux. I have no idea what this one is all about. In my world, nobody talks about AIX. Solaris is revered as a god but used rarely. Linux is used as an appliance (well, I use it for my desktops too but who ever listens to me?). All the buzz is about the over hyped and now finally almost as good as a *nix product (so why the heck spend money on this nag? You know who I mean...). Is SUN a competitor to IBM? I have no idea. What does this deal have to offer IBM? A better UNIX? Yes, but is that what IBM is looking for? Maybe all of the above is a red herring. You could be right about "IBM will take lots of costs out of Sun’s business, driving up gross margins while gaining control of Sun’s installed base/global 2000 accounts". From my perspective IBM is shifting away from hardware and (to a degree) software and is moving towards services. But again, $6.5 billion? Thats more than I make in .... ever. Only time will tell. VAR Guy:

“But do you really see IBM maintaining two separate Unix development teams (AIX and Solaris) if the Sun acquisition occurs?”

I wasn’t questioning whether IBM was going to maintain AIX, Solaris and Linux. I have no idea what this one is all about. In my world, nobody talks about AIX. Solaris is revered as a god but used rarely. Linux is used as an appliance (well, I use it for my desktops too but who ever listens to me?). All the buzz is about the over hyped and now finally almost as good as a *nix product (so why the heck spend money on this nag? You know who I mean…). Is SUN a competitor to IBM? I have no idea. What does this deal have to offer IBM? A better UNIX? Yes, but is that what IBM is looking for? Maybe all of the above is a red herring. You could be right about “IBM will take lots of costs out of Sun’s business, driving up gross margins while gaining control of Sun’s installed base/global 2000 accounts”. From my perspective IBM is shifting away from hardware and (to a degree) software and is moving towards services.

But again, $6.5 billion? Thats more than I make in …. ever.

Only time will tell.

]]> By: The VAR Guy http://www.thevarguy.com/2009/03/18/ibm-targeting-sun-for-takeover-linux-mysql-potential-winners/comment-page-1/#comment-98150 The VAR Guy Thu, 19 Mar 2009 20:47:15 +0000 http://www.thevarguy.com/2009/03/18/ibm-targeting-sun-for-takeover-linux-mysql-potential-winners/#comment-98150 Frank: True, Solaris continues to out-perform Linux on many fronts. But do you really see IBM maintaining two separate Unix development teams (AIX and Solaris) if the Sun acquisition occurs? The VAR Guy things the big, big, big driver for this potential deal is cost savings: IBM will take lots of costs out of Sun's business, driving up gross margins while gaining control of Sun's installed base/global 2000 accounts... Frank: True, Solaris continues to out-perform Linux on many fronts. But do you really see IBM maintaining two separate Unix development teams (AIX and Solaris) if the Sun acquisition occurs?

The VAR Guy things the big, big, big driver for this potential deal is cost savings: IBM will take lots of costs out of Sun’s business, driving up gross margins while gaining control of Sun’s installed base/global 2000 accounts…

]]> By: Frank Bernhardt http://www.thevarguy.com/2009/03/18/ibm-targeting-sun-for-takeover-linux-mysql-potential-winners/comment-page-1/#comment-98149 Frank Bernhardt Thu, 19 Mar 2009 20:38:08 +0000 http://www.thevarguy.com/2009/03/18/ibm-targeting-sun-for-takeover-linux-mysql-potential-winners/#comment-98149 Paul: Your comment has the ring of truth. I'm thinking back to the time when SCO and IBM were working together to create a 64 bit UNIX for the Intel Itanium processor and the project came crashing to the ground because of a problem with IBM's compiler. Or so the people at SCO said. VAR Guy: I applaud your stance on Linux (it's what I use) but I don't think you can compare Linux to Solaris; Solaris is a much more mature and stable OS and better suited for the data center. IMHO. I too am not a big a fan of big IT mergers and acquisitions and I can see the pros and cons from both sides. But $6.5 billion?! Paul:

Your comment has the ring of truth. I’m thinking back to the time when SCO and IBM were working together to create a 64 bit UNIX for the Intel Itanium processor and the project came crashing to the ground because of a problem with IBM’s compiler. Or so the people at SCO said.

VAR Guy:

I applaud your stance on Linux (it’s what I use) but I don’t think you can compare Linux to Solaris; Solaris is a much more mature and stable OS and better suited for the data center. IMHO.

I too am not a big a fan of big IT mergers and acquisitions and I can see the pros and cons from both sides.

But $6.5 billion?!

]]> By: The VAR Guy http://www.thevarguy.com/2009/03/18/ibm-targeting-sun-for-takeover-linux-mysql-potential-winners/comment-page-1/#comment-98081 The VAR Guy Wed, 18 Mar 2009 20:39:36 +0000 http://www.thevarguy.com/2009/03/18/ibm-targeting-sun-for-takeover-linux-mysql-potential-winners/#comment-98081 Paul: Here's the wonderful thing about about TheVARguy.com: You're allowed to slam our resident blogger anytime. Paul: Here’s the wonderful thing about about TheVARguy.com: You’re allowed to slam our resident blogger anytime.

]]> By: The VAR Guy http://www.thevarguy.com/2009/03/18/ibm-targeting-sun-for-takeover-linux-mysql-potential-winners/comment-page-1/#comment-98080 The VAR Guy Wed, 18 Mar 2009 20:30:47 +0000 http://www.thevarguy.com/2009/03/18/ibm-targeting-sun-for-takeover-linux-mysql-potential-winners/#comment-98080 Tristan, The VAR Guy respects Jonathan but he inherited quite a proprietary mess. Kudos to him for the open source storage push, MySQL, etc. And yes, Digium/Asterisk would be a wild addition but something like that sounds a little far fetch right now considering Sun's financial performance. Tristan,

The VAR Guy respects Jonathan but he inherited quite a proprietary mess. Kudos to him for the open source storage push, MySQL, etc. And yes, Digium/Asterisk would be a wild addition but something like that sounds a little far fetch right now considering Sun’s financial performance.

]]> By: Paul Anderson http://www.thevarguy.com/2009/03/18/ibm-targeting-sun-for-takeover-linux-mysql-potential-winners/comment-page-1/#comment-98079 Paul Anderson Wed, 18 Mar 2009 20:29:49 +0000 http://www.thevarguy.com/2009/03/18/ibm-targeting-sun-for-takeover-linux-mysql-potential-winners/#comment-98079 If I were you I would stick to business reporting. AIX is not real Unix and could not be 'blended' with any other Unix variant. What is most likely to happen is that AIX will inherit zones/DTrace/ZFS and a few of the other goodies in Solaris 10 that the Linux folks dont have. Put those into AIX and then you have a Unix that is worth more than Linux. Unix has needed a hero it can sell against the one that is free. If I were you I would stick to business reporting. AIX is not real Unix and could not be ‘blended’ with any other Unix variant. What is most likely to happen is that AIX will inherit zones/DTrace/ZFS and a few of the other goodies in Solaris 10 that the Linux folks dont have. Put those into AIX and then you have a Unix that is worth more than Linux. Unix has needed a hero it can sell against the one that is free.

]]> By: Tristan Rhodes http://www.thevarguy.com/2009/03/18/ibm-targeting-sun-for-takeover-linux-mysql-potential-winners/comment-page-1/#comment-98052 Tristan Rhodes Wed, 18 Mar 2009 15:41:29 +0000 http://www.thevarguy.com/2009/03/18/ibm-targeting-sun-for-takeover-linux-mysql-potential-winners/#comment-98052 I am very curious to see what is going to happen with Sun. Regardless of the possible IBM purchase, Sun is changing direction. They are using their expertise with servers and open source software to enter new product categories, including Storage and Networking. Both of those areas required specialized hardware before, but now Sun can use advanced server technology to provide a much more cost-effective alternative in those areas. I am impressed with Sun's new storage appliances, the 7000 series, which uses optimized SSD drives to provide accelerated cache. They also provide a powerful GUI so that Solaris is mostly hidden. http://www.sun.com/storage/disk_systems/unified_storage/ Regarding the move to networking using open source software, I think it is a great idea, especially since Vyatta is already currently doing that! (Perhaps Sun will want to purchase Vyatta) I am especially interested in hearing what Jonathan claims is the third area that they are going to expand into using their servers. Perhaps he will talk about a good synergy between Digium/Asterisk and Sun? ;) For more background, read/watch Jonathan Schwartz blog entries: http://blogs.sun.com/jonathan/ Cheers, Tristan I am very curious to see what is going to happen with Sun. Regardless of the possible IBM purchase, Sun is changing direction. They are using their expertise with servers and open source software to enter new product categories, including Storage and Networking. Both of those areas required specialized hardware before, but now Sun can use advanced server technology to provide a much more cost-effective alternative in those areas.

I am impressed with Sun’s new storage appliances, the 7000 series, which uses optimized SSD drives to provide accelerated cache. They also provide a powerful GUI so that Solaris is mostly hidden.

http://www.sun.com/storage/disk_systems/unified_storage/

Regarding the move to networking using open source software, I think it is a great idea, especially since Vyatta is already currently doing that! (Perhaps Sun will want to purchase Vyatta)

I am especially interested in hearing what Jonathan claims is the third area that they are going to expand into using their servers. Perhaps he will talk about a good synergy between Digium/Asterisk and Sun? ;)

For more background, read/watch Jonathan Schwartz blog entries:
http://blogs.sun.com/jonathan/

Cheers,

Tristan

]]> By: The VAR Guy http://www.thevarguy.com/2009/03/18/ibm-targeting-sun-for-takeover-linux-mysql-potential-winners/comment-page-1/#comment-98049 The VAR Guy Wed, 18 Mar 2009 14:29:30 +0000 http://www.thevarguy.com/2009/03/18/ibm-targeting-sun-for-takeover-linux-mysql-potential-winners/#comment-98049 Iveen: Generally speaking, IBM has been very good to the open source industry. Remember: Former CEO Lou Gerstner put Linux on the corporate map by having IBM invest more than $1 billion in Linux efforts more than a decade ago. And IBM seems to have multiple open source projects of its own these days. Also, IBM in December 2008 <a href="http://www.thevarguy.com/2008/12/04/can-virtualized-ubuntu-linux-disrupt-corporate-desktops/" rel="nofollow">announced a plan</a> to offer virtualized Ubuntu desktops (on centralized servers) for businesses that needed to support 1,000 or more users. Perhaps The VAR Guy sounds a bit naive. But he thinks Sun won't be able to recover on its own. There's just too much legacy hardware (where sales are falling fast). Iveen: Generally speaking, IBM has been very good to the open source industry. Remember: Former CEO Lou Gerstner put Linux on the corporate map by having IBM invest more than $1 billion in Linux efforts more than a decade ago. And IBM seems to have multiple open source projects of its own these days.

Also, IBM in December 2008 announced a plan to offer virtualized Ubuntu desktops (on centralized servers) for businesses that needed to support 1,000 or more users.

Perhaps The VAR Guy sounds a bit naive. But he thinks Sun won’t be able to recover on its own. There’s just too much legacy hardware (where sales are falling fast).

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