marvin -
IMHO, a successful Linux, with a SPARC port, will do more to help Solaris than hurt it. Linux currently has weak SMP support and does not scale well beyond 4P, admin tools are weak, and the kind of distribution and support that enterprise customers demand is simply not there and will not be there for years. So Linux can make inroads in specific areas where the use is well defined and relatively simple (such as Apache web servers), the Linux community has solved most of the issues for that simple use model, and the requirements will grow by adding more boxes, not by going to larger machines.
What is SUNW's advantage in a Linux SPARC port? If the development community starts creating or porting productivity and other apps to Linux, much of the work to have those apps run over Solaris will also be done, which could enhance the "end to end" appeal of solaris to the end user and provide protection against erosion in the low end of the workstation line without a lot of investment from SUNW.
Likewise if that takes off in the Intel-based space, then Solaris users may have an easier time creating environments which include x86-based Solaris systems, at a cost more comparable to Wintel, and again without a big SUNW R&D investment.
There is little chance that Linux will take much of the opportunity currently enjoyed by Solaris - it just does not have the features and support needed. |
