The VAR Guy

RELDATA, a New Jersey-based firm that specializes in unified storage solutions, has announced that industry veteran and former Sun Microsystems VP Victor Walker will be taking the reins of command as the company’s new CEO. That announcement comes alongside the claim that RELDATA’s revenue has grown 135 percent year-over-year — and its reseller program is growing at the same clip. Here’s the scoop.

Time was, OpenOffice.org was the centerpiece of Sun Microsystems’ push into the consumer space. Personally speaking, I owe my college degree to the free, open source productivity suite and Microsoft Office competitor. But now the leadership of the OpenOffice.org project has announced that 10 years and an Oracle acquisition later, it’s time to move on and form their own foundation — The Document Foundation. Here’s the scoop.

In a detailed memo that came to our attention by way of developer Steven Stallion’s blog, Oracle has revealed that it’s closing the Sun-founded OpenSolaris open source enterprise operating system project in favor of focusing on the upcoming release of the commercial Solaris 11. Oracle says the move will protect its own revenue streams and intellectual property, but some open source advocates see it as what Stallion described as a “perversion of the open source spirit.” Meanwhile, there are signs that Oracle will continue to promote MySQL to channel partners. Here are some insights.

Back in January 2010, when Oracle completed the Sun Microsystems buyout, The VAR Guy issued a warning to Larry Ellison and Company: Don’t Mess Up Java. Fast forward to the present, and Java is at the heart of a lawsuit Oracle has filed against Google. The lawsuit involves Google’s use of Java inside the Google Android OS. Here’s a closer look plus my personal perspectives.

For the first time in recent memory, Oracle CEO Larry Ellison and Oracle Co-President Charles Phillips (pictured, left to right) seem to be having a public difference of opinion. Last week, Phillips publicly stated Oracle would planned to pump $70 billion into acquisitions over the next five years. But Oracle’s corporate PR team says no such M&A budget exists.

Oracle Channel Chief Judson Althoff has spent the past eight months drinking from a fire hose. In late 2009, Althoff and his team launched the Oracle PartnerNetwork (OPN) Specialized partner program. In early 2010, Althoff played an encore with a range of specializations for Oracle and Sun Microsystems partners. Althoff’s next move occurs June 29, when Oracle kicks off its fiscal year 2011 channel strategy with partners. Here are the details — along with the opportunities and challenges awaiting Oracle partners.

EnterpriseDB, an open source database provider, has recruited MySQL veteran Karen Tegan Padir to head up their products and marketing division. In her new position, Padir will report directly to EnterpriseDB President and CEO (and fellow Red Hat alum) Ed Boyajian. Here’s a look at Padir’s career move — and the implications for both EnterpriseDB and MySQL.

IBM is looking to entice Sun Microsystems partners into the Big Blue camp. Specifically, IBM Global Financing is offering up to $500 million in financing to help credit-qualified Sun Business Partners migrate towards the resale of IBM systems. Is this a gimmick or a successful initiative? Let’s take a look.

As Sun Microsystems partners gather for this week’s Avnet Compass 2009 conference in Denver, many VARs are looking ahead to Oracle’s anticipated buyout of Sun; the pending deal could gain regulatory approval by the end of August. In the meantime, cue Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers:  “The Waiting is the Hardest Part.” Here’s why.

When Sun Microsystems announced financial results this week, The VAR Guy had a moment of clarity: Sun is looking more and more like a larger version of Novell. And The VAR Guy means that in a complimentary way. Here’s why.

The VAR Guy woke up early today and was set to write a blog titled: “What Ever Happened to Scott McNealy?” Sun Microsystems’ former CEO has been awfully quiet lately. Just when The VAR Guy was about to check McNealy’s employment status, a McNealy spotting — involving President Obama — popped up on ZDNet. Here’s the scoop.

The VAR Guy often crows about his successful predictions. But some of his blog posts — including a few about emerging open source solutions like Google Android and Ubuntu Server Edition — missed the mark badly in 2008. Time for The VAR Guy to take a break from holiday meals. Instead, he needs to eat some crow for these five open source statements that were off target in 2008.

On desktops and Netbooks, it has been a stellar year for Canonical’s Ubuntu Linux distribution. But on the server, Ubuntu continues to face long-term challenges in terms of application and vendor support. Here’s the scoop from The VAR Guy.

As Sun Microsystems polishes its channel strategy for MySQL and open source, Avnet Technology Solutions (ATS) is evaluating ways to work more closely with Sun and its partners on the open source initiatives. Here’s the scoop, only from The VAR Guy.

Nearly a year after acquiring MySQL for $1 billion, Sun Microsystems is bolstering its Partner Advantage channel program to more effectively promote a range of open source solutions. The VAR Guy had been expecting this move for several weeks. Here’s the scoop.

Barton George, an open source expert whom I met at Ubuntu Live in 2007, has resigned from Sun Microsystems to join a software company in Austin, Texas. I wish George well in his new position. At the same time, I increasingly wonder if Sun can solidify its open source strategy and turn around the company. Barton isn’t the only open source expert to leave Sun in recent days, notes our sister site, The VAR Guy.

Barton George, one of the best-known open source evangelists at Sun Microsystems, has left the company. He sent a note to a group of sources — including The VAR Guy — on Sept. 5 indicating that he’s joining a cloud-based computing company in Austin, Texas. Kudos to George, but The VAR Guy has to wonder: Are things growing worse at Sun?

The VAR Guy isn’t making any guarantees, but he hopes Sun Microsystems articulates its MySQL partner strategy next week at the Avnet New Frontiers Conference in Colorado. Here’s why.

The VAR Guy picked up the phone and dialed Sun Microsystems Inc.’s investor relations department. When the call went to voicemail, he left this message: “Are the rumors true? Is Sun seeking to replace CEO Jonathan Schwartz?” Here’s more on the rumor, and The VAR Guy’s depressing reaction to it.

The VAR Guy (www.thevarguy.com) is investigating a rumor that Sun may replace CEO Jonathan Schwartz. Sun’s stock is tanking and the company is struggling. But Schwartz has open-source smarts and he orchestrated the $1 billion takeover of MySQL. And don’t forget these two items: Sun actually offers Ubuntu on its servers. And MySQL has been one of the most vocal supporters of Ubuntu.

While most major server vendors take a “wait and see” approach to Ubuntu, a major Canadian Web host says the server operating system is ready for prime time. Indeed, Cirrus Tech is now offering Ubuntu on its server hosting plans. Here’s a closer look at Cirrus Tech’s announcement, and the state of Ubuntu on the server.

Some folks say VARs are dead. After checking his own pulse and web site traffic, The VAR Guy disagrees. Instead, he believes channel pros are reinventing themselves via managed services and new software stacks. In fact, a new survey by Channel Insider suggests that Red Hat Linux is now the most popular platform among VARs.

The Ubuntu Live conference doesn’t kick off until July 21, but The VAR Guy is already booking his flight to the Portland, Oregon-based event. Here are five key trends our guest blogger expects to track at the event.