Sun Microsystems is expected to announce Wednesday that it is bundling its application server software into its Solaris operating system, a move that could change the competitive landscape in the lucrative application server software market.
With the move, Sun is trying to chip away at the dominance of BEA Systems and IBM in the $2 billion-a-year application server market. The company will in essence give away its Java application server as part of the upcoming Solaris 9 operating system, sources told CNET News.com.
Sun is expected to make the announcement Wednesday when company executives, including Chief Operating Officer Ed Zander, launch the latest version of the company"s Unix operating system, sources said.
Application server software is technology that runs e-business and other Web site transactions. It"s essential back-end software that has become a standard piece of e-business infrastructure.