Sun Microsystems said on Wednesday that it will offer free access to its Java server suite and N1 management software and bundle them with its Solaris operating system.
On the Internet, software wants to be free. But as the Free Software Foundation and many others point out, the word "free" here is not about price; it is about liberty.
Sun executives claim that open source will benefit as US consumer spending grinds to a halt, and that its revenues are not negatively impacted by its development of "free" software.
Lack of funding may force free software portal Blastwave, one of the only sources for pre-packaged Solaris software, to close its doors.
Simon Phipps, Sun UK's chief open-source officer, surveys the open-source landscape and reaffirms his company's commitment to open-software development.
Richard Stallman says even if Sun and others follow IBM's lead and started defusing the patent minefield of software development, the battle against software patents must continue.
Scott McNealy sees glory days ahead for new CEO Jonathan Schwartz. Are they cut from the same cloth?
Sun Microsystems is grappling with applying an open-source philosophy to its Java software as the company weighs risks and benefits over whether it should jump in further or not. But some experts are suggesting a middle ground.
At a time when Sun must vie for the attention of IT buyers bombarded by Red Hat, SuSE, Microsoft, IBM and HP, the company knows that it must tap the galvanising force of GNU/Linux rather than offend those who subscribe to it.
Big Blue heavyweight Bob wants Sun's Java to be open-sourced and ultimately turned into a standard.
The OpenOffice.org group announces a kit that lets programmers build new modules for open-source alternatives to the Microsoft Office suite.
OpenOffice.org 2.4.0 is a free, open source alternative to Microsoft's Office application suite. It is fantastic if you need basic office applications such as a word processor or spreadsheet at no cost. However, large organisations and power users may be disappointed by its lack of features and support.
OpenOffice.org developers have put the finishing touches on their productivity suite, which provides users and businesses with an alternative to Microsoft's Office suite.
OpenGroupware.org has been launched with plans to create applications that compete with Microsoft Exchange server products.
This feature-rich, flexible and above-all free office suite is much more than a refuge for the anti-Microsoft tendency. It works, it's reliable and it's useful.
Can Chrome give Internet Explorer a run for its money?
ZDNet correspondent Sumi Das talks with Senior Editor Sam Diaz about the perks and pitfalls of the newly relea… Watch it now
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