We Get It.
Yes they did. Sun flew a dorky banner over Dell headquarters. So... Sun's NC05Q3 event last week was kind of a big deal. At least to Sun. They announced their cheap (well, Sun cheap) servers that objective 3rd parties seem to be responding positively to, and they showed an "edgey" anti-Dell campaign. But what I globbed on to was the live chat with Jonathan Schwartz and co (Transcript. Warning, it's a pdf.)., that included some discussion about the direction of Sun workstations. It's sometimes tough to find stuff about workstations at events like this, so I've extracted all the workstation and desktop out of the chat. ( I've included some non-workstation tidbits where relevant. )

(For other transcripts, videos, and podcasts from the Sun Network Computing 05Q3 event, check out the event's website.)

Q: Any plans on making a cheap SPARC desktop like the Ultra20?
Jonathan Schwartz (A): Stay tuned.
...
Q: Adobe and RealNetworks are on-board with JDS for Linux and Solaris/SPARC, are they on-board for Solaris/x64?
Jonathan Schwartz (A): Not yet, but they're on the way. Make sure you let them know you want them aboard :)
...
Q: Please, please, please can you give us a dual core Ultra 20?
David Lawler (A): It's coming - stay tuned.
...
Q: What are the plans to support Solaris on laptops, things like power mgmt., suspend/hibernate, wifi, cardbus. Do you plan support for laptop type things in Solaris?
Chris Ratcliffe (A): We currently support over 180 laptops with Solaris 10 and actually have a number of these technologies
running (in fact some of them are running on the system I'm using now). We hope to release them soon.
...
Q: Will Solaris support all the other x86 processors excluding Opteron (eg. xeon, celeron, athlon 64, pentium m?)
Chris Ratcliffe (A): Yes, it already does.
...
Q: Does sun have any intentions of getting more desktop users on solaris (opensolaris?)
Chris Ratcliffe (A): With the extensive x86 platform support in Solaris 10 and Sun's x64 workstation products, we are seeing an increasing number of desktop users already on Solaris 10. In addition, there are a number of projects currently underway both internally at Sun and within the OpenSolaris community that will be very attractive to desktop customers.
...
Q: I shared the experience among others that it's taking too long to purchase a low end workstation/server or even a Solaris support contract. Do you realize the problem and are you working on it?
Robbie Turner (A): I assume you are referring to buying through the Sun Store. Sun's low end systems and Solaris Service Plans are offered through the Sun Store. We have taken feedback from customers on their experiences ordering through the Sun Store and have an effort underway to improve the customer experience on the Sun Store.
...
Q: How do you support a galaxy server if a customer choose Linux as operating system ?
Robbie Turner (A): If you're running Red Hat and/or SUSE Linux OS, opt for a Sun Software Service Plan for the Linux OS. This plan provides two levels of support - standard and premium - to help your IT deployments stay reliable and secure 24x7. Combine the Linux OS support with a Sun Hardware Service Plan for complete system coverage. For more on what the Sun Software Service Plan for Linux provides, go to: sun.com/service/support/software/Linux/index.html
..
Q: is sun developing home user hardware configurations for laptops
Ravi Pendekanti (A): We already have SPARC based laptops on our price list today
...
Q: DO you like Nvida better then ATI?
Herb Hinstorff (A): They both make great products and we support them both.

Q: How serious does Sun take supporting x86 laptops, eg. power mgmt, wifi drivers, cardbus etc?
Herb Hinstorff (A): We already support over 183 laptops with Solaris 10 and are in the process of releasing some new features that will specifically address power management, wifi support etc.

Q: Why is the roadmap of the Sunray 2 slipping? We hoped it would be available this year but it looks like it will arrive in 2006? The Sunray is great please don't let others catch up!
Herb Hinstorff (A): We haven't announced any next-generation Sun Ray roadmap. We certainly have exciting plans in both the client hardware and software area to further enhance the technology. Stay tuned!

Q: when will you announce the StarOffice 8
Iyer Venkatesan (A): Soon!

Q: Will Tarantella products become integrated with Sun Rays, or maintain their own product line?
Kevin Strohmeyer (A): The Sun Secure Global Desktop (Formally Tarantella) will remain its own product line. Sun Ray thin clients may access applications published through the Sun Secure Global Desktop.

Q: What clients do Tarantella support?
Kevin Strohmeyer (A): The Tarantella product has been announced as a Sun product called the Sun Secure Global Desktop Software. Any device with a Java enabled Web Browser can access applications through the Sun Secure Global Desktop. This includes PC's, Laptops, Macs, thin clients, Sun Ray thin clients, PDA's, tablets, and public kiosks.

Q: I thing Openoffice is going great but it seems that it is in a little slow development phase. You gave the base code for OOo, also for Netbeans and now making the same for opensolaris. The same problem may certainly can arise for it. Have you got plans to speed up the process of their developments or is this a strategy of you?
Iyer Venkatesan (A): Thanks. We're definitely proud of our efforts around OpenOffice.org. OO.o 2.0 will be available shortly. We want to do everything we can to speed up the process and grow the community. However because it's a community-led development process, this is not a strategy by Sun for OO.o or other open source projects.

Q: When will sunrays be available as laptops?
Herb Hinstorff (A): Tadpole, a subsidiary of General Dynamics, sells laptops based on Sun Ray technology today.

Q: I love what you've done with the Ultra 20 workstation. How have sales been? Are there additional plans on the board for an expanded range of workstations?
Herb Hinstorff (A): Can't comment on sales. We will be expanding the range of workstations over time.

Q: Someone previously was discussing Acer Ferrari laptops. Will there be a mobile solution from DELL coinciding with McLaren Mercedes?
Herb Hinstorff (A): Not sure. From what we hear, the problem is that it requires a radiator larger than the one in the McLaren. :-)

Q: When will Microsoft make it easier to convert StarOffice documents? That is my main issue with using StarOffice.
Iyer Venkatesan (A): Can't really speak for them. However StarOffice 8, which will be available shortly, uses the OASIS-standard OpenDocument file format which has been endorsed by a number of organizations, including the European Union and the state of Massachusetts. As more and more companies adopt this standard, the easier it will be to exchange files. StarOffice 8 offers tremendous improvements in being able to import and export MS Office files.

Q: Are there any plans to implement DirectX Technology like support in home user hardware?
Herb Hinstorff (A): Sun workstations and servers that support Windows support the DirectX technology today.

Q: Will you compete with Citrix?
Kevin Strohmeyer (A): No

Q: How have the Ultra 3 mobile workstation systems been received by customers and will there be a x64 based counterpart competitive with the Acer Ferrari?
John Herb Hinstorff (A): The mobile workstations have been well received. We aren't able to discuss potential future product plans here.

Q: Folks, I know this session is mostly x64-related but, can anyone comment on Global Desktop (Tarentella) and its implication for deploying desktops for large enterprises?
Kevin Strohmeyer (A): Reduce cost complexity, improve security, and provide greater mobility. The Sun Secure Global Desktop Software allows user facing applications running on Windows Terminal Services, Mainframe, AS400, Solaris, AIX, HP-UX or Linux to be published to any user in the enterprise using any device with a Java Enabled Web Browser. Uncoupling applications from device dependencies allows for rapid deployment of new applications, updates, and patches. In addition, the Sun Secure Global Desktop three tier architecture allows for secure remote access.. greatly simplifying the support of mobile or at-home employees,
and even allowing for secure access for business partners...

Q: Will Sun offer a thin client?
Herb Hinstorff (A): Sun offers the Sun Ray thin client today. It is ideal in situations where security and low client administration costs are important.
...
Q: There was a news that Sun intends to open source all its software.Is that true? Also Java was to be open sourced as well. Any
new information on that?
Jim McHugh (A): Sun is currently evaluating its entire portfolio to determine the appropriate open source actions. Sun has already open sourced Solaris. Check out opensolaris.org for information on this project. Sun has also open sourced its
implementation of the JEE application server. Information can be found at glassfish.org.

Technorati Tags: sun, solaris, amd, linux, marketing, desktop, workstation, open source  ¶ 1:40 AM