Although Sun Microsystems Inc. discontinued sales several months ago of its customized Linux distribution, the company hasn't entirely abandoned its do-it-yourself Linux strategy: In its forthcoming bundle of desktop software, code-named Mad Hatter, the included Linux operating system will be Sun's own.
Sun, based in Santa Clara, California, decided in April to stop marketing its Sun Linux 5.0, saying customers hadn't shown interest in having another version of Linux available. Several weeks later, Sun partnered with leading Linux distributor Red Hat Inc., whose operating system software it now sells on its x86 server hardware. Partnering with Linux vendors will remain Sun's server-side strategy, but on the desktop side, it will rely on its own distribution, Sun's Software Group Executive Vice President Jonathan Schwartz said Monday during a meeting with press in New York.
Sun's forthcoming Mad Hatter software bundle, now in beta testing, is a package of basic desktop applications comprised mainly of open-source components. It includes Sun's StarOffice productivity suite, the Mozilla Web browser, the Gnome (GNU Object Model Environment) desktop interface, and Ximian Inc.'s Evolution information management software.
News source: InfoWorld
