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Google and Sun News Conference Live at 1:30 PM ET - Updated
Tuesday, October 04 2005 @ 12:21 PM EDT

Sun and Google are holding a joint news conference in about an hour. Scott McNealy and Dr. Eric Schmidt will be speaking from the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, CA and they will announce "a new collaborative effort between the two companies". You and I can be here listening to the live Webcast.

Update: Here's the press release. Here's the part that I think is most important, to FOSS, with text marked in color for emphasis:

Sun Microsystems, Inc. and Google Inc. today announced an agreement to promote and distribute their software technologies to millions of users around the world. The agreement aims to make it easier for users to freely obtain Sun's Java Runtime Environment (JRE), the Google Toolbar and the OpenOffice.org office productivity suite, helping millions of users worldwide to participate in the next wave of Internet growth.

Under the agreement, Sun will include the Google Toolbar as an option in its consumer downloads of the Java Runtime Environment on http://java.com. In addition, the companies have agreed to explore opportunities to promote and enhance Sun technologies, like the Java Runtime Environment and the OpenOffice.org productivity suite available at http://www.openoffice.org.

Millions of people who have never heard of OpenOffice.org will presumably now learn about it, thanks to Google. They'll try it, find out it works fine, and guess what happens after that the next time there is a forced upgrade by Microsoft or the next time license renegotiation discussions come around? A lot of bright people will throw their pocketbooks over their shoulders and tell Microsoft: Buh-bye. And it doesn't just say "promote". It says "enhance". Is Google going to enhance OpenOffice.org? Please do!

The other theme to me is: apparently Google isn't intimidated by Microsoft. That is news by any marker. And further, if we were worried that Sun was in Microsoft's pocket ... I think this is evidence to the contrary.

2d Update:

Low bandwidth archive of the event;
High bandwidth archive.

****************************

Sun and Google Expand Technology Reach And Global Opportunity

Multi-year, Strategic Agreement Promotes Java Technology and Google Toolbar

MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIF., - October 4, 2005 - Sun Microsystems, Inc. and Google Inc. today announced an agreement to promote and distribute their software technologies to millions of users around the world. The agreement aims to make it easier for users to freely obtain Sun's Java Runtime Environment (JRE), the Google Toolbar and the OpenOffice.org office productivity suite, helping millions of users worldwide to participate in the next wave of Internet growth.

Under the agreement, Sun will include the Google Toolbar as an option in its consumer downloads of the Java Runtime Environment on http://java.com. In addition, the companies have agreed to explore opportunities to promote and enhance Sun technologies, like the Java Runtime Environment and the OpenOffice.org productivity suite available at http://www.openoffice.org.

"As a leader in free and open source software, Sun has long recognized that network innovation is vital to the evolution of the global economy," said Scott McNealy, chief executive officer, Sun Microsystems. "Working with Google will make our technologies available more broadly, increase options for users, lower barriers and expand participation worldwide. Free and open source technologies, such as OpenOffice.org, OpenSolaris and Java, have never been safer or offered more choices."

"Google and Java are two of the most widely recognized technology brands because they provide users with online tools that enhance their lives on a day to day basis. The Google Toolbar offers useful Internet search services while Java enables richer interactive content. We look forward to exploring other related areas of collaboration," said Eric Schmidt, chief executive officer of Google.

About the Java Software for the Desktop

The Java software for the desktop, also known as the Java Runtime Environment (JRE), is a software package that needs to be installed on a machine in order to run Java technology-based applications. Over 700 million desktop users leverage Java technology today to have a more interactive experience on the web. Users can download the latest version of the Java software for the desktop for free at java.com, and test drive the hottest Java technology-based games and applications.

About the Google Toolbar

The Google Toolbar is a powerful search and web surfing utility that seamlessly integrates with users' web browsers. It's available in 34 international languages and supports a built-in word translation that translates English words into other languages. The Google Toolbar is scheduled to be available as a Java Runtime Environment download option in late October.

About Google Inc.

Google's innovative search technologies connect millions of people around the world with information every day. Founded in 1998 by Stanford Ph.D. students Larry Page and Sergey Brin, Google today is a top web property in all major global markets. Google's targeted advertising program provides businesses of all sizes with measurable results, while enhancing the overall web experience for users. Google is headquartered in Silicon Valley with offices throughout the Americas, Europe, and Asia. For more information, visit www.google.com.

About OpenOffice.org

OpenOffice.org is an open-source project, home of the OpenOffice.org software, the most widely distributed open-source multi-platform productivity suite. The OpenOffice.org community was founded by Sun Microsystems in 2000. An active community, of which Sun is a key member, enhances and supports the OpenOffice.org office suite.

About OpenSolaris

Sun has open sourced the Solaris Operating System, now available at: http://www.opensolaris.org. The OpenSolaris project is a community development effort and a place for collaboration about OpenSolaris technology. Future versions of Solaris - the most advanced operating system on the planet - will be based on technology develop by the OpenSolaris project.

About Sun Microsystems, Inc.

A singular vision -- "The Network Is The Computer" -- guides Sun in the development of technologies that power the world's most important markets. Sun's philosophy of sharing innovation and building communities is at the forefront of the next wave of computing: the Participation Age. Sun can be found in more than 100 countries and on the Web at http://sun.com.

Sun, Sun Microsystems, the Sun logo, Java, Solaris, and The Network Is The Computer are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sun Microsystems, Inc. in the United States and other countries.


  


Google and Sun News Conference Live at 1:30 PM ET - Updated | 343 comments | Create New Account
Comments belong to whoever posts them. Please notify us of inappropriate comments.
Corrections here ... if needed (N/T)
Authored by: alisonken1 on Tuesday, October 04 2005 @ 12:40 PM EDT
.

---
- Ken -
Registered Linux user #296561
Slackin' since 1994 -
import std_disclaimer.py

[ Reply to This | # ]

O/T here ... as usual ...
Authored by: alisonken1 on Tuesday, October 04 2005 @ 12:41 PM EDT

Don't forget "Post Mode: HTML Formatted" for links.


---
- Ken -
Registered Linux user #296561
Slackin' since 1994 -
import std_disclaimer.py

[ Reply to This | # ]

Google and Sun News Conference Live at 1:30 PM ET
Authored by: Anonymous on Tuesday, October 04 2005 @ 01:07 PM EDT
Heh, Sun is weird.
After a year of showing its dark side (by snuggling up to M$) now it is again
showing the bright side.
It is spinning too fast for me.

[ Reply to This | # ]

What is it?
Authored by: belzecue on Tuesday, October 04 2005 @ 01:32 PM EDT
For late starters, according to Slashdot it's an online-service version of
staroffice/openoffice, but YMMV.

[ Reply to This | # ]

Google and Sun News Conference Live at 1:30 PM ET
Authored by: PJ on Tuesday, October 04 2005 @ 01:47 PM EDT
Has anyone connected successfully? I keep getting
an error message. If you succeed, do some
Audacity for me please.

[ Reply to This | # ]

Google and Sun Press Release
Authored by: lightsail on Tuesday, October 04 2005 @ 01:56 PM EDT
Press Release

---
Open source is in the public interest!

[ Reply to This | # ]

Google and Sun News Conference Live at 1:30 PM ET
Authored by: fava on Tuesday, October 04 2005 @ 01:57 PM EDT
link to the press release

[ Reply to This | # ]

try this link
Authored by: Anonymous on Tuesday, October 04 2005 @ 01:59 PM EDT
http://www.sun.com/smi/Press/sunflash/2005-10/sunflash.20051004.1.html

[ Reply to This | # ]

Suns Press Release today
Authored by: Anonymous on Tuesday, October 04 2005 @ 02:04 PM EDT
P ress Release from Sun
Sun and Google Expand Technology Reach And Global Opportunity

Multi-year, Strategic Agreement Promotes Java Technology and Google Toolbar

MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIF., - October 4, 2005 - Sun Microsystems, Inc. and Google Inc. today announced an agreement to promote and distribute their software technologies to millions of users around the world. The agreement aims to make it easier for users to freely obtain Sun's Java Runtime Environment (JRE), the Google Toolbar and the OpenOffice.org office productivity suite, helping millions of users worldwide to participate in the next wave of Internet growth.

[ Reply to This | # ]

Google promoting proprietary software?
Authored by: Anonymous on Tuesday, October 04 2005 @ 02:08 PM EDT
Maybe it is time some more people helped out with the projects listed at the "How You Can Help" box on www.fsf.org like GNU Classpath, the gcj compiler from GCC and the OpenOffice.org 2.0 on GCJ 4.0 effort.

[ Reply to This | # ]

Google and Sun News Conference Live at 1:30 PM ET
Authored by: Anonymous on Tuesday, October 04 2005 @ 02:17 PM EDT
Big whop - Sun agrees to bundle the Google toolbar with JRE downloads.

[ Reply to This | # ]

Google and Sun News Conference Live at 1:30 PM ET
Authored by: Anonymous on Tuesday, October 04 2005 @ 02:18 PM EDT
Yay... Sun is spamming the Google Toolbar to unsuspecting JRE downloaders.

Who cares.

[ Reply to This | # ]

What a pathetic PR joke...
Authored by: sirwired on Tuesday, October 04 2005 @ 02:23 PM EDT
The big announcement... [drum roll please]

The Google toolbar will now be bundled with the JRE as an option. Google will
place a link to openoffice somewhere obvious. This boils down to a joint
marketing agreement. Big freakin' deal.

No new technology, no merger announcement, no magic melding of StarOffice and
Google, no nifty way to access OpenOffice over the web, nothing.

I can't believe this was plastered all over Groklaw, Slashdot, and even worse,
the Sun homepage. This is about as revolutionary as Adobe bundling the Yahoo
toolbar w/ Acrobat.

What PR drone thought to make a big deal about this? I am about 0% likely to
pay attention to the next "Big" Sun announcement, if this is their
idea of something world-changing.

SirWired

[ Reply to This | # ]

The Register has a little Sun at fun's expense
Authored by: WhiteFang on Tuesday, October 04 2005 @ 02:27 PM EDT
Register's Sun/Google Prediction

---
emerge addict since Gentoo version 1.2, 2002.
warning: value of "Trust Microsoft" always fails.

[ Reply to This | # ]

Goggle promotes OpenOffice?
Authored by: Fredric on Tuesday, October 04 2005 @ 03:00 PM EDT
If Mr. Ballmer didn't like Google before this....
Anybody things there is any furniture at all left in the Redmond HQ by now?

---
/Fredric Fredricson
--------
[Funny sig temporarily removed for tests on Salisbury Plain]

[ Reply to This | # ]

Google and Sun News Conference Live at 1:30 PM ET - Updated
Authored by: Anonymous on Tuesday, October 04 2005 @ 03:38 PM EDT
... "this is evidence to the contrary."

Maybe.
Maybe not.
We shall see.

George

[ Reply to This | # ]

  • What a waste!! - Authored by: Anonymous on Tuesday, October 04 2005 @ 03:48 PM EDT
The amusing thing is Bill Gates predicted this software distribution model...
Authored by: kawabago on Tuesday, October 04 2005 @ 03:58 PM EDT
But in his version it was Microsoft getting subscriptions directly from users
where this implementation gets revenue from advertisers. So Billy was right
about software living on the web and you just use what you need when you need
it, he was only wrong about who would deliver it. And of course it's Open
Source software that makes it all possible, not Microsoft's new even greedier
business model. I wonder what they'll call their new platform if they ever get
it working....XP stood for eXPerience. Maybe the next one will be XT for
eXTortion.

---
TTFN

[ Reply to This | # ]

Anyone else think it's a good idea to sell Microsoft stock
Authored by: Anonymous on Tuesday, October 04 2005 @ 03:59 PM EDT
and buy Google stock

[ Reply to This | # ]

Google and Sun News Conference Live at 1:30 PM ET - Updated
Authored by: Stumbles on Tuesday, October 04 2005 @ 04:02 PM EDT
...if we were worried that Sun was in Microsoft's pocket...

Sun has behaved with a split personality for so long now I will reserve my caution and judgment.

---
You can tune a piano but you can't tune a fish.

[ Reply to This | # ]

Google and Sun News Conference Live at 1:30 PM ET - Updated
Authored by: Anonymous on Tuesday, October 04 2005 @ 07:24 PM EDT
Hmm. Here is some educated guess work. Imagine an extension loadable onto your
desktop/browser that can search the contents of all your files. Imagine being
able to trawl the net and view Open Office documents converted in real time to
HTML the same way they do it with PDF at the moment. Google has always been
about the search. It will be interesting to see this power applied to Open
Office. Imagine the next tool that allows a corporation/government body to
catalog and search all it's docco using "Google OASIS Search".

(has no affiliation with any of the above companies, but uses Google to search
and Open Office to type up letters)

[ Reply to This | # ]

Google afraid of MS?
Authored by: Anonymous on Tuesday, October 04 2005 @ 07:28 PM EDT
Have we ever seen Google tread lightly in a domain that MS was already? News,
webmail, search, and now office software... They just always do it better than
MS. Not really much reason to be afraid of someone that never really understood
this internet thing by someone that lives, thrives, and explodes in it.

Oops! I think I just heard another chair fly across the room and into a wall in
Redmond. Bad gorilla!

[ Reply to This | # ]

Google and Sun News Conference Live at 1:30 PM ET - Updated
Authored by: Anonymous on Tuesday, October 04 2005 @ 09:45 PM EDT
Google Toolbar? Yikes...

A less-technical friend of mine sought my help because his Microsoft Internet
Explorer was crashing every time he started it.

Problem with Microsoft's browser? Nope - Google Toobar was the problem.
Uninstalling it saved his day. Be careful around that thing!

[ Reply to This | # ]

Imagine this..
Authored by: Anonymous on Wednesday, October 05 2005 @ 12:43 AM EDT
Google creates an Open Office application that can be used on the web for free.

They also have the ability, and if necessary, the influence to license the new
"Open" XML file format from Micro$oft, and can integrate it into their
own software without worrying about GPL incompatibility.

Now, combine these two things together and what do we get? A free and
universally available converter between OpenXML and OpenDocument.

No more Office lock-in. (^o^)

----------
The poster formerly known as m(_ _)m

[ Reply to This | # ]

Portal
Authored by: Anonymous on Wednesday, October 05 2005 @ 02:28 AM EDT
I seem to remember, back in the StarOffice 5.2 days, there was a product called
StarOffice Portal. I'm not sure if this was anything more than alphaware but it
was certainly listed on the SO site (what was the name of the company that
originally developed SO?). I could certainly see such a thing being of interest
to Google.

[ Reply to This | # ]

  • Portal - Authored by: Anonymous on Wednesday, October 05 2005 @ 09:50 AM EDT
"We" were worried?
Authored by: Anonymous on Wednesday, October 05 2005 @ 04:19 AM EDT
"And further, if we were worried that Sun was in Microsoft's pocket
..."

We were never worried. You were worried. We told you that you were wrong. You
deleted our comments.

Maybe next time you'll listen to us.

[ Reply to This | # ]

Another broadside aimed at Microsoft
Authored by: DaveJakeman on Wednesday, October 05 2005 @ 05:11 AM EDT
little sun peeps out from behind Big Google and shouts "Go get 'em boy! Go
get 'em!"

Well, maybe it takes more than one to confront the playground bully.

As a schoolkid, I once tried to side with the "bad lads" in the hopes
it would release me from their unwanted attentions. Bad move.

---
Should one hear an accusation, first look to see how it might be levelled at the
accuser.

[ Reply to This | # ]

Google desktop search and linux
Authored by: Anonymous on Wednesday, October 05 2005 @ 06:19 AM EDT
I find I cannot take google's professions of open anything support while they *still* do not have a linux or mac compatible version of their desktop search http://desktop.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?answer=10072&topic=168 and http://desktop.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?answer=10073&topic=168

[ Reply to This | # ]

What was the point?
Authored by: dyfet on Wednesday, October 05 2005 @ 06:55 AM EDT
First, it does not take Google and Sun to make joint announcement to suddenly make OpenOffice successful. It happened without them, and will continue to do so.

Second, what does improving Jaava really mean? Does it mean finally I can get a java runtime optimized for my GNU/Linux distro of choice? If not, Java remains useless. Binaries built against some generic distro with low code optimization for my platform because hey letting me even recompile Java runtime to suit my needs "might" compete with a Solaris system I would never buy anyway does not cut it. Yes, there are alternatives; IBM Java Runtime (another closed source licensed runtime), and the few efforts at open source vm's which I do consider the best hope for it's future, though they have to fight an uphill battle against a largely closed and changing system. The only improvement Java needs to make it a successful and universal platform as intended is an improvement in licensing. The rest can then be fixed. Otherwise, it is a slow and poor choice to use, which only sun really controls, and whether it one day includes a google toolbar or not this will not change.

[ Reply to This | # ]

  • What was the point? - Authored by: Anonymous on Wednesday, October 05 2005 @ 07:53 AM EDT
  • Ummmm - Authored by: Anonymous on Wednesday, October 05 2005 @ 01:09 PM EDT
I regret to inform you...
Authored by: Anonymous on Wednesday, October 05 2005 @ 08:59 AM EDT
That OOo calc is sloooowww at updating when you have a chart in your spread
sheet. I've been a linux user and M$ free for over 5 years and won't turn back
BUT I'm getting tired of this small annoyance. I'm considering gnumeric or
koffice because I can't tack it any more. Although I love the basic interpreter
in OOo I need speed.

Try this...
Launch calc
Make a 4 by 30 grid of random values
Highlight them and make a chart
Begin changing some values in the grid
Watch your PC freeze for 5 seconds every time it updates the chart with your new
data.
(I'm using an AMD 3Ghz machine with 512MB ram)


[ Reply to This | # ]

Google and Sun News Conference Live at 1:30 PM ET - Updated
Authored by: Anonymous on Wednesday, October 05 2005 @ 11:56 AM EDT

Ha! Sun as the good-guy. Not likely.

See this comment at TechDirt. T his pretty much sums it up.

[ Reply to This | # ]

  • What? - Authored by: Anonymous on Wednesday, October 05 2005 @ 12:20 PM EDT
Offtopic - First Vista virus released!
Authored by: cybervegan on Wednesday, October 05 2005 @ 01:18 PM EDT

(As this story has no proper offtopic thread, I'm posting it here as a top-level comment, but I think it's interesting enough to warrant it)

Yes, you heard right - even with their dandy new open-source influenced development method and super-fandango automatic code review tools, they still can't get it right...

This is not a theoretical vulnerability; it's a full exploit, released just days after the beta came out.

http://www.linux.org/news /2005/10/05/0008.html

I bet I know just how they'll spin this one ;-)
-cybervegan

---
Software source code is a bit like underwear - you only want to show it off in public if it's clean and tidy. Refusal could be due to embarrassment or shame...

[ Reply to This | # ]

  • It's a feature - Authored by: Anonymous on Wednesday, October 05 2005 @ 11:38 PM EDT
  • To be fair... - Authored by: Anonymous on Saturday, October 08 2005 @ 08:35 AM EDT
McNealy's word mincing
Authored by: Anonymous on Wednesday, October 05 2005 @ 04:19 PM EDT
It's funny how he at one stage talks about open source, OpenSolaris and then -
Java Community Process - as if that was some kind of open source too. Of course,
not a single journalist picked up on it.

Scott, why is Java not open source yet? Are you really going to wait until Red
Hat make GCJ as good or better to see your JDK go down the drain?

[ Reply to This | # ]

Washington Post Article
Authored by: RFD on Wednesday, October 05 2005 @ 07:02 PM EDT
The Washing post carried an article on this today.

Link

---
Eschew obfuscation assiduously.

[ Reply to This | # ]

Opt Out
Authored by: Anonymous on Thursday, October 06 2005 @ 06:13 AM EDT
Am I the only one who sees a problem with opt-out? Suppose it is OK for Google
and then another company (e.g., Yahoo or M$) decides to do the same thing?

Should I, as an author, have to keep track of every company that decides to
enter this market and opt-out? Obviously, this is ridiculous.

I'll make a deal. If Google agrees not to earn any advertising revenues from
using my works, then they can scan them. Otheerwise, they can pay the going
price and live with the conditions (e.g., copyright notice) that I put in the
front of the book.

Scorpio (not logged in)

[ Reply to This | # ]
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