Charles:
You state:
> I think you may be overstating the case. Nothing I have seen
> says that FedEx is replacing its current servers or mainframes, so I
> don't think Sun's ability to provide servers is necessarily an
> advantage.
I believe you misunderstood something here. The point was not meant to be just about FedEx, but rather to bring up an example of how Java and the computing model that goes with it are no longer just a vision. FedEx accepting of the NCs is simply, in my opinion, a small trend that has started to take place in the industry and will intensify as we go forward.
Going back to the FedEx particular case, when they buy the NCs (from Sun or whoever), they will need to hook them up to servers. Their existing servers can be used, however, if up to this point they have been using a fat client model they may not have had the need for any more servers than what they already have had. As I said, from the 2 people I know within the company and who are very much familiar to the situation, my understanding is FedEx's decision to go with the NCs will also require more servers. After all their fat desktop computing model is being shifted to a thin client, server centric architecture. Therefore, Sun as a one stop shop is in a much stronger position than the individual NC sellers to win the contract. Again this is just my humble opinion only!
Regards,
Addi Jamshidi |
