IBM to buy Sun?

[unixronin]

It is reported that IBM is in negotiation to buy Sun Microsystems.

So, let's see....

Sun gets:

• The technical and financial backing of a strong company that still understands the value of serious computer hardware (as compared to rebadged lowest-bidder x86 PCs)
• Access to IBM's patent portfolio
• Access to POWER processors

IBM gets:

• Sun's customer base
• The expertise behind Java, ZFS, and the still-strong SPARC architecture
• The opportunity to metaphorically stick a finger in the eye of the revenant corpse of HP

Sounds like win-win to me.

Comments

[smandal.livejournal.com]

At first this didn't strike me as a super-great deal for IBM.

But, I think you hit on the key here: expertise. Sun doesn't have a growth market for its engineering achievements, but IBM does. Unlike when Compaq bought DEC, I think IBM will know what to do with its new personnel and intellectual property assets.

Something wicked this way comes ...

[guppiecat]

I think Google should buy them.

[ithildae.livejournal.com]

I think the deal makes sense. Sun has had a static (or shrinking) market share for a long while. IBM has been shedding jobs like crazy for a long while. I don't see this reinvigorating either market, but it combines some really cool technology, making it a win for customers. (I wonder what happens to Sun's deals with Micro$oft?)

Compaq was killed by DEC. That same tapeworm killed HP. My biggest problem with that is HP is where I get all my calculators and printers. I wonder if the old DEC attitude problems can still be exorcised?

[johnkzin.livejournal.com]

I had heard HP was going to start using Solaris (but, obviously only on x86, as Sun doesn't make a PA-Risc version of Solaris). So this could leave HP in an interesting position.

I also wonder what this will do about the future of Solaris and/or AIX. IBM, being the parent company, would probably want to hang on to AIX ... but that would suck badly. It would be interesting to see Solaris become the primary OS for Sparc, PPC, and x86 boxes from HP, Sun, and IBM...

(and it also leaves an interesting contention, within IBM, between Solaris and Red Hat)

There's so many oddities about it, but it also sort of seems like it could have potential.