Sun Adds RealOne to Mad Hatter Docket

According to published reports, Sun Microsystems will bundle RealNetwork's RealOne software in its upcoming Mad Hatter operating system.

Mad Hatter is a Linux derived low-cost alternative directed towards aging Windows desktops. Rather than follow the upgrade path to a new version of Windows, Sun is hedging its bets that consumers will vote with their wallet for a thrifty, secure alternative.

Sun previewed Mad Hatter at the LinuxWorld conference in August, declaring it ready for primetime. Currently, Mad Hatter desktop applications include: StarOffice personal productivity suite, Sun's Java technology, the Mozilla Web browser, the GNOME user interface, Evolution for e-mail and calendaring, as well as Gaim instant messaging.

Mad Hatter is expected to be widely available later this year.

More details will be unveiled later on this month at the SunNetwork event hosted in San Francisco. Thus far, Sun has hinted that it will roll out standard and enterprise editions of Mad Hatter that will include networking tools.

Real is currently pushing its open source Helix Player for Linux, Solaris and UNIX. Real says it aims to develop a player for millions of users to experience the same richness of its Mac OS X and Windows clients.

Together, Sun and Real are seeking to undercut the dominance of Microsoft, which by some estimates sits comfortably with code on roughly 95 percent of all PCs.