Read Me Second

Go read Eric Bruno's blog on Sun's big news. Then come back here and I'll explain why the announcement made me nostalgic.

When Sun wanted to tell the world about open-sourcing Java, it did so the old-fashioned way: by emailing out a press release.

I remember press releases, news embargoes, non-disclosure agreements, even in-person interviews. How quaint such primitive modes of communication seem today.

These days when Sun wants to lift the veil and let the world know what it's up to, it is likely to issue invitations to a Second Life virtual world event. Or just blog it.

Sun's CEO famously blogs about new technologies and new directions for the company. But seemingly everyone in the company blogs, and Sun actively uses blogs as its primary means for communicating with, at least, the developer community.

What I miss in all this blog-entry bite-sized openness is the Big Picture.

I get it that Sun doesn't believe in thin clients, that Java is a platform -- or several platforms, that Sun wants to claim the shipping-container-sized datacenter market, and that Jonathan thinks that Sun can walk and chew gum at the same time.

What I don't get is how it all fits together, the unifying vision of what kind of company Sun is today. I don't mean a slogan, I mean a product grid, along with a plausible plan for how the company makes money in each square of the grid.

Maybe at JavaOne Sun will explain the Making Money from Open-Sourcing Java strategy. In the meantime I'll keep reading the blogs, looking for clues.

Posted by Mike Swaine at 09:51 AM  Permalink