Either Sun has a lot of money to waste or their marketing team is bananas, but if they think they can get Wal-Mart (they don't sell PCs well, for people that don't know. Less than 1 percent of 1 percent, according to their shareholders report) to sell boxes with a OS on it to people that shop at Wal-Mart (on the average, they are NOT technical, by the way). Oh man.. I am glad that I don't own any Sun stock. :-D

I will give them props, no matter how futile, on trying though. Can you imagine WAL-MART customers trying to get software to work on a non-Windows machine though? I do tech support for a ISP and I shudder at the nightmare that the Sun support group are going to have to do to fix whatever issue that these users are going to run into.

Aside from the topic of whether Sun is important in US market.
Sun system is definition a lot better than HP Solaris systems.

These systems may not target all home users, but it does target college students that actually do heavy duty programming and so on. Majority of C++ learning experience is rested upon Sun system, not Linux. We have encountered a lot more memory over-flow for many compiled C++ programs than in Sun systems.

Even if I am a Linux user, I don't really see Sun as a very appealing OS because it doesn't have as much application support as in other systems like FreeBSD or so on. Nonetheless, it is a very good research workstation for a cheap price.

Oh for those that have experience with Unigraphics in the past. Unigraphics run a lot better on Sun system than Windows. It is a 3D CAD program, but it doesn't do mechnical joint 3D like you see in Solidworks.

I can't wait for the first clueless consumer to walk home with one of these PCs and all that Windows Software they bought with it, only to find out it won't run on little Johnny's new computer.

Surprise! ;-p

What a useless post. Go back to your console game.

This move by Sun, and Lindows on the move... M$ might be a bit ticked off :-) i wish Sun all the success!

Given Wally's track record at selling PC's, and Sun's somewhat unknown status in the consumer pc market I would say this has a very slim chance of success. Certainly nothing to get the crowd in Redmond too concerned about. It wouldn't surprise me a bit if MS is actually pleased to see Sun pick a huge retailer with ZERO in the way of trained sales/support to handle this product.
I can see where Sun could have had a slim chance of success with a large retailer with trained sales and support. But, to think this is going to happen at Wal-Mart is nothing shy of wishful thinking.
It can be tough enough trying to locate anyone in a Wal-Mart store to know what department an item is located in, much less be able to tell you anything about the product beyond whats printed on the box.
Lot's of luck to Sun and Wal-Mart, but I don't think this is going to fly.

I was very impressed with Java when it first came out, and followed the developments at Sun Beta with great interest. But it seemed as if the software got buggier and buggier, slower and slower, and that the beta development took longer for each new release. I went over to the MS Java Virtual Machine and found it a lot faster and a lot more reliable. Yes, I know, Java wasn't supposed to be platform specific; but the problem is, that made it slow as molasses. And Sun never seemed to be able to solve the problems.

Frankly, I think Sun has lost it. These days what they can't win be software development they win by lawsuits. People who buy these Walmart computers will get what they pay for.

Don't confuse the name with the product. Sun just made a bad move in naming this one. It's not a desktop system that runs on Java. It's a rebranded version of SUSE Linux. Yet another mistake Sun has made. I'm amazed they're still in business.

To support a corporation so entrenched with the Chicon Red Fascists is something that I as a leftist cannot do in good conscious.

TAIWAN FOREVER CHINA NEVER!!!

That to me is a myopic view. You will have to then be critical of all Taiwanese companies that are doing business in China.

Keep trade away from ideology.

I do respect a purist, but you have to walk the talk to make statements like that. That could mean not touching any single IT product - because you may run the risk using a product produced by a company having one way or another doing business with China.

This a review post for beta programs and news related to that topic. Not political views.

but...

I hope the competition will bring down Microsoft's prices.

At Wal-mart a copy of XP Pro(upgrade not full) is around $200.00...

>:-/

It will play what every other repacked (clone) of linux will play.

That is, linux being but a clone of UNIX.

This is a strategic move greatly needed in the US. Many countries are pushing against Microsoft (right or Wrong). Linux and Unix are the alternatives. For the US SUN is an important company. This strategic move will help to:

1) Give an alternative to Windows.

2) Keep dollars flowing in the US for Software and move them to other companies and countries.

3) Move to sell in China helps to bring some income back into the US - though I doubt this matches anywhere near what Microsoft, HP, SUN, DELL, IBM and others have moved abroad in the past few years (outsourced).

Bruce J Hafner
Silicon Mindset, Inc.
http://www.siliconmindset.com

"According to Sun, the price for Java Desktop System is $100 USD per desktop user or $50 USD per employee, priced annually."

Why do I want to pay Sun $100 every year? And why would I use this over windows when windows works well for me?

I mean $50 not 100

From what I read this is for an enterprise environment and is not directed at home users as the topic reads? Being a linux user for some time now all I can say is it puts a smile on my face to see Sun Microsystems announce this news.

($100) -OR- (($50 annually for employees (i.e. a A company with computer stations, licensing\renewing copies to each.)

i get copies of windows for 10 dollars ( full version) from my campus bookstore. limit 1 each year. that keeps me WELL updated on versions every year. i like the compatability of windows. i use a mac at work, but i find anything but windows produces a hassle of compatability i do not want to deal with.

-scott

You can also buy cheap OEM versions from the retailers that bundle some cords that qualify as hardware with the OS. (think it was $20)

Don't flatter yourself into believing Sun is more than it really is. In many ways they are little more than a "has been" player in the corporate computer world. Are they important to the U.S. computer market? Not at all. They are simply another in a long list of players. Nothing too special about them these days.

Actually, according to Sun's website, its $100 a year regardless of if you are a single user or an employee of a corporation. That $100 is essentially a membership for product updates. Yeah, this is hardly worth the hassle. Oh yeah, until June 04 you can get it for $50/year....yay!!!