bye bye windows
2003-09-16 | 4:43 p.m.

SAN JOSE, California (AP) -- In a move aimed squarely at Microsoft Corp., Sun Microsystems Inc. unveiled on Tuesday a suite of software for businesses that want to dump -- or just can't afford -- the Windows operating system on their companies' desktop computers.

The Sun Java Desktop system, which was formerly code-named Mad Hatter, runs on the open-source Linux operating system and includes a variety of programs that replace Microsoft's Internet browser, productivity suite and other parts of the Windows package.

Sun officials say its system will cost as little as $50 per user per year and can be installed on any computer that can run Microsoft's Office 2000. The software also is designed to interoperate with Windows-based programs such as Exchange and Microsoft Office.

"We're talking about a radical savings -- more than 75 percent over just the comparable upgrade cost for Microsoft," said Larry Singer, Sun's senior vice president of global market strategies.

Seeking sales

Sun, a leading maker of high-end, Unix-based servers, has been struggling since the dot-com collapse to bolster sales as systems based on inexpensive x86 microprocessors and the Linux operating system become more powerful and more viable.

The company has since embraced both x86 chips and Linux in an effort to become a leader in low-cost computing. The move toward desktops is another facet of that transformation.

But Tuesday's announcement also echoes a theme heard throughout Sun's nearly 20-year history: A desire to position itself as an alternative to Microsoft in desktop computing.

Antitrust case pending

In the late 1980s, Sun's 386i PC project flopped as the young company was then ill-prepared for the market. More recently, attempts to get support for its universal programming language Java in desktops have been hindered by Microsoft.

In fact, Sun's $1 billion antitrust case over that matter is still pending in a Maryland federal court.

Sun's latest attempt tries to leverage its Java brand, which is popular on a wide range of computing platforms from servers to cell phones but has contributed little directly to the company's bottom line.

Less worms and viruses?

Singer said because of Java's openness and integration with the new Sun desktop software, developers will have access to more components of the underlying software than they do with Microsoft's proprietary offerings.

Singer said there's another key difference between Sun Java Desktop and Microsoft Windows-based systems.

"Guess what? It wouldn't have blown up ... with the worms and the viruses" of recent weeks, he said.

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