Path: utzoo!censor!geac!torsqnt!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!swrinde!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!samsung!munnari.oz.au!brolga!lingua.cltr.uq.OZ.AU!root From: root@lingua.cltr.uq.OZ.AU (Hulk Hogan) Newsgroups: comp.arch Subject: Re: Sun != Open Archtecture Message-ID: <1990Dec19.024945.12335@lingua.cltr.uq.OZ.AU> Date: 19 Dec 90 02:49:45 GMT References: <36911@cup.portal.com> <5089@trantor.harris-atd.com> Organization: Centre for Language Teaching and Research, Uni of Queensland, AUSTRALIA. Lines: 48 chuck@trantor.harris-atd.com (Chuck Musciano) writes: >In article <36911@cup.portal.com>, johnm@cup.portal.com (John - Madison) writes: >> Assertion: Sun is retreating from the idea of Open Systems. >> Consider: >> - Sun has been aggressively unbundling software like the C compiler, >> OS improvements, and such. Further, they *prohibit* you from buying >> the unbundled Sun products and running them on a clone. Not supporting >> such products is one thing, but a blanket prohibition is clearly aimed >> at the clone makers. > I hate to see the compiler completely unbundled, which is a mistake. >But again, what obligation does Sun have to a clone maker? How technical >support does IBM give Compaq? Also, can you cite the licensing agreement >which restricts Sun products to Sun hardware? Perhaps there is a market for >clones of unbundled Sun software! Our local Sun salesman said a couple of weeks ago that we would not be able to run the unbundled Sun products (C compiler etc etc) on our Solbourne. Period. To do some would violate the legal stuff. Even if we bought and located the binaries on a SPARCserver 2 and NFS mounted the binaries on the Solbourne. The only way would be if we suggested to our dealers [to get Solbourne] to license the software from Sun... I believe that Solbourne have a five year agreement with Sun which allows Solbourne to obtain SunOS's and be 100% compatible. Our Solbourne salesman indicated that the Solbourne version of SunOS (called OS/MP) would be approximately 90 days behind Suns. In recent times, this seems to have blown out to a *huge* delay, but probably has been compounded by the Symmetric Multiprocessing additions to SunOS that Solbourne are working on. I have heard whispers that this is because Sun has been delaying the handing over of the OS to Solbourne, but this is *only* rumour and if I am captured, I will disavow any knowledge of it. Regardless, the unbundling of the OS is effectively creating two SunOS's, a "devalued" SunOS for clone users, and the "real" SunOS for genuine Sun users. This is a *really* nice way for Sun to treat companies who license their OS. Really makes them want to license the unbundled tools I'd say. It was funny how at the SPARCstation 2 announcement, the speaker said how Sun was a single OS, single architecture (SPARC) company. Yeah, right. Funny how our 386i and 3/60 don't run the same binaries... /\ndy -- Andrew M. Jones, Systems Programmer, Internet: andy@lingua.cltr.uq.oz.au Centre for Lang. Teaching & Research, Phone (Australia): (07) 365 6915 University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Phone (World): +61 7 365 6915 Brisbane, Qld. AUSTRALIA 4072 Fax: +61 7 365 7077