Comments on: Can Sun rise to the cloud-computing challenge?

As Sun proclaims that it's "gonna do somethin'," the cloud community is reminded of the incredible DNA of this engineering icon--and challenges it faces in executing.

[AppleSuxLeo]

The sun has set on SUN .

[hutchike]

I spent all this morning working on my APIs to Amazon's wonderful Web Services (AWS). I expect to spend about $200 this month on their EC2 services, and more next month. For a company like Sun whose mantra was always "The network is the computer" to be just talking around clouds is more than just disappointing - it's truly disheartening. Here are the simple steps Sun needs to take to be a cloud player:
1) Work with Eucalyptus and RightScale to duplicate Amazon's cloud API
2) Integrate their cloud API with NetBeans ASAP
3) Leverage xVM Server and xVM Ops Center to rent out machine images
4) Leverage Open Storage to rent out storage too
5) Look at Amazon's "little things" like persistent IP addresses, EBS and snapshots - these are essential, not just nice-to-have
6) Add a "Save to network" or similar button to OpenOffice so people can save their work to the cloud

I'd bet anyone that Sun fails to deliver a compelling and popular cloud service at an attractive price point within the next year. As a shareholder in Sun, I believe they could use better management who know how to execute and deliver better services than famous book-sellers.

[leshredder]

I am not sure I see the optimism here. This is what Sun has been doing for the past 5 years. Giving us "more of a "placeholder" presentation--certainly not a major announcement". Go back to EcoComputing, JavaES, JavaDesktopSystem, OpenStorage, BlackBox, Managed Services, SunLinux, ect ect. Directional presentations that will be replaced by the next directional presentation and will net zero execution.

I suggest Sun is (was) full of great engineers and great idea slide makers. If the economy were better and there were places for the rest of Sun's talent to go....it would....they are stuck in a holding pattern. The people there are just waiting for the next rif....people other than some folks making slides.

[MSSlayer]

There is no such thing as the cloud. It is just meaningless marking speak. I guess terms like thin client and mainframe don't excite brain-dead businessmen anymore, so someone had to come up with a new buzzword for these idiots in expensive suits.