Which Sun story is more important
They have also been pushing a new virtualization technology, xVM, and working with Microsoft to assure it works.
But is the bigger story a simple "job hop," word that open source evangelist Barton George has bailed for a start-up?
Big Money Matt says no. "It's not evangelism that Sun needs right now. It's growth and revenue." As always with Matt Asay, wise words.
The short version is less Martin Luther and more Jerry Maguire. Show me the money.
The cynic in me may note that, in my Catholic youth, the response to financial need was to pass the collection plate more often, up to four times per service.
The realist in me may note that perhaps open source is oversold as a money-spinner. Just because a business model is better for the market does not mean it is better for every seller.
Better for some vendors, certainly. Better for Google. Better for IBM. Better for business customers installing open source solutions, even when they are buying support contracts.
Sun was under financial pressure before it made the turn to open source, and it remains under financial pressure. Despite its technical success, and key customer wins, that pressure has not diminished.
Will it? And if Sun spins in, as either a failure or someone's cheap acquisition, does that mean open source doesn't work?