Ding-dong! Solaris is dead?
- TAGS:IBM-Sun merger, Java, M&A, Solaris, Sun, SUNW
- IT TOPICS:Applications, Data Center, Government & Regulation, Hardware, Linux & Unix, Open Source, Storage
In Friday's ITÂ Blogwatch, Richi Jennings watches IBM move forward with its acquisition of Sun Microsystems. Not to mention what Steve Wozniak did next...
[The title is with grudging apologies to Mike Rothman, but he still owes me plenty]
Previously in IT Blogwatch:
Patrick Thibodeau reports:
The high-stakes, but still under-the-covers battle by IBM to take over Sun Microsystems Inc. is still in play, but IBM may be rethinking what it is willing to pay for the enterprise vendor ... What may be affecting IBM's offer is the potential delay because of regulatory oversight that the deal may bring.
If IBM takes control of Sun, it also gains much of the Unix server market. IBM has more than a 37% share of Unix servers, and Sun, at No. 2, has just over 28% of the market, according to research firm IDC ... The decision will also have major implication for users ... a merger could mean bad news for Sun's Solaris operating system.
Timothy Prickett-Morgan adds:
Rumor has it that IBM will acquire Sun Microsystems on Friday morning ... if the companies can come to terms. Oddly enough, I'm also hearing that the acquisition will be tucked up underneath IBM's Software Group, with the Systems and Technology Group playing second fiddle.
...
IBM doesn't need to own Java to use Java - it needs another operating system like it needs a hole in its bottom line, and even at $8 a share ... that is a lot of money to eliminate a competitor.
Angela Gunn agrees:
IBM and Sun are down to nickels and dimes in negotiations for the former to acquire the latter.And it really is pocket change -- the difference between $10-$11 per share and $9-$10 per share -- until you remember that it's still an eight-figure transaction.
John Paczkowski is uncharacteristically serious:
How badly does Sun (JAVA) want its acquisition deal with IBM to go through? So badly that it’s willing to lower its purchase price for assurances that Big Blue will finish the deal.
...
It will likely prove the largest in IBM’s history, surpassing its $5 billion acquisition of software maker Cognos in November 2007.
Jason Morgan offers this insight:
I think Solaris has a bigger footprint in the Investment Bank space whereas AIX is bigger in the Commercial Bank space. With the failure of many Investment Banks I guess Sun lost a lot of deep pocket customers.
And Archon810 counts on his fingers:
Imagine the happy MySQL employees who just went through a round of all their options vesting and worth a bunch of money. Here they go again. What can I say, congratulations.
But silentdragon works for Sun in the UK:
So in a few days, I'll either work for a Fortune 500 company or be jobless. Yeahhhhhhhhhhh.
And finally...
Previously in IT Blogwatch:
Buffer overflow:
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Richi Jennings is an independent analyst/adviser/consultant, specializing in blogging, email, and spam. A 23 year, cross-functional IT veteran, he is also an analyst at Ferris Research. You can follow him on Twitter, pretend to be Richi's friend on Facebook, or just use boring old email: blogwatch@richi.co.uk.
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