Sun Microsystems’ relationship with the Open Source community has always been a bit of an enigma. Though the company itself was built upon Open Source software (Berkeley Unix), and has made some important and useful Open Source contributions, its refusal to completely open up Java, and its sometimes disparaging remarks about Linux have led it to butt heads with Open Source developers on more than one occasion. Still, despite the somewhat checkered history, Sun has recently begun to embrace Linux in a much more public fashion. Leading the charge is CEO Scott McNealy.
But while Sun is joining a long list of companies that have announced their support for Linux, they are definitely putting their own unique spin on the subject. While most Unix vendors have been eager to present a friendly face towards the Linux community in public, McNealy has downplayed its importance. He mockingly refers to IBM’s altruistically hued “Peace, love and Linux,” marketing campaign as “Peace, dope, and Linux.” But all kidding aside, when McNealy talks about Microsoft, he sounds like one of the Linux faithful. Linux Magazine’s Adam Goodman and Robert McMillan recently had the opportunity to meet with McNealy at Sun’s Santa Clara campus.
LINUX MAGAZINE: Why did Sun decide to brand its own version of Linux?
SCOTT McNEALY: Ultimately we believe that the brand isn’t so important. You have 100 microprocessors in your new automobile. Any idea what brand…
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