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July 24, 2008 11:45:32 PM CDT

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CEO Stakes Sun's Renaissance on Freebies

Posted Oct 5, 07 5:32 PM CDT in US,  Technology,  Business 

(Newser) – Sun Microsystems’ latest CEO has an interesting strategy for getting profit out of the beleaguered tech giant—he's giving stuff away. “There’s value in volume,” says Jonathan Schwartz, who has made free Sun's Solaris operating system, microprocessor blueprints, and Java code. So far, so good: Schwartz turned 2006 losses of $864 million into a $473 million profit.

Schwartz contends it’s the populace, not the golfing CIO set, that steers tech. But Sun’s shares remain stagnant, BusinessWeek says, with observers fearing it’s too late for a Solaris groundswell over Linux. “It's like in high school, when I'd throw these big parties and think I was so cool, only no one would come,” said a Linux director.

Source BusinessWeek

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An Sun Microsystems Inc. mouse pad, mouse, and keyboard is shown at Sun headquarters in Santa Clara, Calif., Tuesday, Aug. 14, 2007. Two years after announcing a somewhat vague software-distribution partnership,...   (Associated Press)
Exterior view of Sun Microsystems Inc. offices in Menlo Park, Calif., in this, April 23, 2007 file photo. Sun Microsystems Inc. is expected to release quarterly earnings on Monday, July 30, 2007. (AP...   (Associated Press)
Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., second from right, is given a tour by Dean Nelson, left, Sun Microsystems director of global lab & data center design services, and Greg Papadopoulos, right, Sun chief technology...   (Associated Press)
Sun Microsystems Inc. servers in Sun offices in Menlo Park, Calif., Monday, April 23, 2007. Sun Microsystems Inc. is expected to release quarterly earnings on Tuesday, April 24, 2007. (AP Photo/Paul...   (Associated Press)
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