Stories related to: Sun Microsystems

Sun Microsystems is moving toward connecting computer chips using lasers instead of wires, a move that could make computers 1,000 times faster. The company snagged a $44 million Pentagon contract to continue work that could also mean smaller, more energy-efficient machines. It won’t be easy, though: A Sun researcher told the New York Times the chance of success is 50%. More »

Sun Microsystems today reported a profit of $260 million for the quarter ending Dec. 30, MarketWatch reports. Though total revenue was $3.62 billion, Sun’s service and sales were responsible for most of the gains, growing to $1.37 billion from $1.31 billion in the same quarter last year. Hardware product sales fell slightly from $2.26 billion to $2.25 billion over the same interval. More »

Recent acquisitions by Sun Microsystems and Oracle could be the opening round of new Silicon Valley deal-making, the Wall Street Journal reports, as tech companies worried about a US economic slowdown seek to strengthen their positions. Smaller companies struggling to stay afloat are tempting targets; bigger fish also want to invest in building web-based software and services—a still-growing sector. More »

Sun Microsystems revealed two surprises today: The computer company showed quarterly earnings that have nearly doubled from a year ago, and it said it would buy open-source software developer MySQL for $800 million in cash and $200 million in assumed options. Sun’s earnings in the second quarter—which ended Dec. 30—could reach $265 million, beating 2006’s $133 million mark, MarketWatch reports. More »

Silicon Valley giants like Intel, Cisco, and Sun, are experimenting with ditching cubicles to improve productivity. Execs at the companies say that the typical office gray maze isn't ideal anymore for the modern, connected workplace. "Collaboration has been shown to spark innovation and speed product to market," says a designer at an office architectural firm. More »

Computer and printer giant Hewlett-Packard rode strong server, software, and PC sales to a 28% boost in fourth quarter earnings from a year ago, CNN Money reports. The company posted a net profit of $2.2 billion, with a share price of 81 cents, up from 60 cents a year ago. The profits defied low industry expectations set by tech companies like Cisco Systems and Qualcomm, the Wall Street Journal reports. More »

Computer seller Dell, looking to regain momentum by responding to business customer demand to offer broader, simpler technology solutions, will install the Solaris operating systems on its servers, giving a boost to longtime rival Sun Microsystem’s efforts to grow its software business, reports the New York Times.   “This is world-changing,” said Sun CEO Jonathan Schwartz. “It positions both companies better.” More »

Despite recording its fourth straight profitable quarter for the first time since the dot-com crash, Sun Microsystems fell in evening trading after missing 1Q sales projections by $50 million, reports the Associated Press. Analysts projected the company would bring in $3.27 billion in sales in the quarter; the final number was $3.22 billion. Sun shares were down 2.8% in evening trades. It was the late session's most active Nasdaq issue. More »

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. More »

Sun Microsystems has a solution for the booming demand for network space, and as a bonus, it lowers energy use: packing servers into steel shipping containers that can be parked wherever they're needed. It's called Project Blackbox, and Sun says it reduces power consumption by 20%. The giant 20-foot boxes sell for $500,000 a pop. More »