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Red Hat vs. Sun: The Battle for Open Source Dominance

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

As the open-source Linux operating system continues to gain traction in the enterprise market, its success has created a new class of corporate enemies, including Sun Microsystems. Despite Sun's past contributions to the development of open-source software, the company has become increasingly threatened by Linux's growing market share. Red Hat, a leading enterprise open-source player, has been at the forefront of this battle, with its deputy general counsel, Mark Webbink, stating that Sun's recent comments are akin to "screaming" due to their inability to adapt to the changing market.

Key Takeaways:

  • Red Hat has taken significant market share away from Sun, leading to concerns about the company's business model.
  • Sun president and chief operating officer Jonathan Schwartz has criticized Red Hat's pricing, stating that $1000 per server is a "strange definition of free".
  • Schwartz has also sowed fear, uncertainty, and doubt about ongoing intellectual-property cases over Linux's code, threatening to engulf users.
  • Mark Webbink has pointed out that Sun has contributed to the development of open-source software, including opening the source code of Star Office.
  • Webbink has stated that Sun's refusal to open-source Java has left them vulnerable to Microsoft's .NET, and that only one can survive.
  • Red Hat's deputy general counsel emphasized that ongoing legal action from companies like SCO are relatively common in the industry and brought by "ankle biters" with nothing to lose.

Statistics:

  • Red Hat has taken significant market share away from Sun, with no specific figures provided.
  • Sun's new licensing scheme, a subscriptions model to Sun's Solaris operating system, includes the server provided "free".
  • The cost of Red Hat Enterprise Linux is $1000 per server.

Sources:

  • [Rob O'Neill, "Once upon a time", Sydney Morning Herald]
  • {Jonathan Schwartz, "Unveiling a new licensing scheme", Sun Microsystems}
  • [Mark Webbink, "Open source licensing seminar", Red Hat]

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