Microsoft and Sun forge an alliance
Sun co-founder, longtime CEO and current chairman of the supervisory board Scott McNealy had never found anything good to say about Microsoft. Now under the company's knew CEO Jonathan Schwartz, who last April took over the position from McNealy , things have changed. The archrivals Microsoft and Sun Microsystems intent of corporate a lot more closely in future. The opponents are moving closer together -- and this shortly before the Court of First Instance of the European Communities is to give its ruling on the anti-trust decision of the EU Commission against Microsoft; a decision that came about in response to, among other factors, a complaint filed by Sun.
Sun Microsystems would in future for the first time also market its 64-bit server systems featuring Intel or AMD processors (x64 systems) with Microsoft's Windows Server, it was said. To improve the interoperability of their products the two companies intend to found a joint development center on the Microsoft campus in Redmond. According to statements made by Sun and Microsoft the partners will also work to ensure that Microsoft's Windows software runs smoothly on or interacts flawlessly with all servers and storage products made by Sun. The alliance moreover includes plans to improve the way Sun's and Microsoft's virtualization software works together with Windows Server and Solaris respectively. Steps would be taken to ensure that Solaris functioned flawlessly as a guest under Microsoft's virtualization technologies and that Windows Server ran without a hitch under Sun's virtualization solution, it was said. Into the bargain the two companies intend to give a boost to IPTV. Carriers throughout the world are to be induced to introduce Microsoft's IPTV solution on the basis of Sun servers.
By paying a total of 1.6 billion US dollars to Sun, Microsoft had in April 2004, to the surprise of many members of the industry, settled all legal disputes it had with the Unix and server specialist; at the time preliminary exploratory talks about a possible cooperation between the two companies had also taken place. Even so, a short while ago Sun managers could still be heard accusing Microsoft of engaging in "patent terrorism." However, the first tender shoots of a cooperative effort had already emerged in 2005 -- back then the companies had stated that they had agreed to boost interoperability with regard to Web services, identity and systems management. Once a beaming Scott McNealy and a merry Steve Ballmer had shaken hands, though, not much more was heard about this cooperation. This time around the cooperation between the two companies will in their opinion be of a different caliber. "Today's announcement is another example of Microsoft's commitment to 64-bit computing," Bob Muglia, senior vice president, Server and Tools Business at Microsoft, said. While John Fowler, executive vice president, Systems Group, Sun Microsystems, added: "Sun is now a single source for today's leading operating systems -- Solaris and Windows -- on the industry's most innovative x64 systems and storage products."
By : http://www.heise.de/english/newsticker/news/95931
Keyword : Microsoft and Sun forge an alliance
