[Wolves] Solaris: open source x86

[zen8486 at zen.co.uk]

My twopenneth worth.  (So far not having read the entire article - just the section about Solaris x86 being a joke).  Sun actually dropped the x86 flavour a couple of years ago and only really started offering it again when the Linux/Commodity Hardware offerings from HP and Dell became popular.  The concept that x86 is a joke is possibly taken out of context, and I wouldn't be surprised to see some further clarification from the parties involved.  My interpretation is that the concept of x86 as a 'free' or open source offering is lacking real value because x86 seems only to be viable on Sun approved hardware and that removes alot of the 'commodity' from the equation - given that Sun servers aren't the cheapest of the bunch and possibly the number of enthusiasts wanting to contribute to the x86 development could be hampered by this would naturally reduce its potential value.  However it will be interesting to see if some of the concepts in Solaris 10 are taken up by the other players in the Linux market and adapted for use in other distro's; patents allowing of course.
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Regards,

Pete Evans