Oracle finally puts the knife in Sun's heart
16I know that there have to be one or two (at least) Sun Microsystems holdovers from early days. Here’s a decent article on it all:
https://meshedinsights.com/2017/09/03/oracle-finally-killed-sun/
The comments are nice, since some of them are familiar faces (ex Sun employees).
I’m going to go have a nice glass of wine, and say bad things in my heart about Ellison and Oracle.
- 11 comments, 11 replies
- Comment
That’s too bad. I used Sun Sparc machines since 1990 and that’s how I learned Unix/Solaris. That knowledge comes in handy when learning other forks like Linux.
@cengland0 Linux is not and never was a “fork” of BSD or ATT Unix, and was inspired by Minix. Ask Linus.
@mike808 Well, that’s definitely debatable. Perhaps they didn’t use the source code of Unix but it is definitely closely related using the same instruction sets.
@cengland0 Alt-facts are not “debatable”. You claimed Linux was a fork of Unix. It is not. Linus Torvalds, who wrote Linux, is not “debatable” on the subject of its origin.
Is it inspired by Unix? Certainly. But a fork it is not. Words have meaning. Choose them wisely.
You left out OSF/1, POSIX, and the Open Group in your tree. They have more to do with your common “instruction set” experience across these OSes, as they are/were standards bodies, and I assume you meant core command line “utilities” when you used that term. Operating systems dont have “instruction sets”. They have APIs, user “shells” to manage processes, and utility commands.
Just because you didn’t pay tuition doesn’t mean you didn’t get schooled.
@mike808
You don’t have to be a dick.
I didn’t leave out anything in that chart because I didn’t create the chart.
@cengland0
/giphy yikes!
Right now, I just don’t want to see people I like argue over something that’s history. Here’s the definitive entry (it requires reading, mostly), with an excellent (and very convoluted) picture that shows all the entries in the race (so to speak).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Unix
As bona fides, I’ve been around since the source code for this was delivered on 7-track tape, and loaded onto our PDP 11/45 (the 11/70 was busy running RSTS), on campus. I have a copy of Lion’s book (RIP, John), “Lions’ Commentary on UNIX 6th edition with source code” and it has my favorite comment in source code, EVER.
2238 * You are not expected to understand this.
2239 */
There’s more, but I’m already sad enough. Please stop fighting. :-{
@Shrdlu Thank you
@Shrdlu
They both end in “X”. Can we agree on that?
I just had to give up my Sun desktop server last week. I’ve still got a couple sets of keys and a processor wrench in my drawer.
Ah, memories of the Sparc5.
That.
Just.
Wouldn’t.
Die.
I have an Ultra 10 at home that I have been planning on selling but hadn’t gotten around to yet. Maybe I’ll just hold on to it. I also have a few keys around just in case of emergency.
I haven’t really worked with Solaris for a couple of years but kept thinking I could go back to it eventually. Sniff.
The first optical mouse I saw was on a Sun workstation. It had a special shiny mouse pad.
I have an optical mouse that came with the system. I had never seen one of those before. I bought a new keyboard and mouse after trying to figure out how to make my own optical mouse pad.
We ran AutoCAD on these in the late 80s-early 90s.
on the other hand whenever I see Sparcs or Wyse terminals I thing “Gosh these people are too cheap to upgrade.”
Sun, I am disappoint.
Is that the Sun sign that was flipped around when Facebook moved into their former office space?
http://www.businessinsider.com/why-suns-logo-is-on-the-back-of-facebooks-sign-2014-12
@DrWorm Good article! My memories of Sun systems are a. Super expensive and b. Lagged behind everyone later on. Not a recipe for long term success.
Oh, and aren’t you happy that we’re all finally calling you Dr. Worm?
My first job out of college back in 2008 was a B2B telemarketing gig, and I got stuck shilling for Sun Microsystems—specifically their new line of Intel servers.
Boy was that a thankless gig. Moreso after Oracle bought Sun. Sun was the company’s largest client, with SAP as their second largest, and I knew the writing was on the wall. Either way, nobody wanted to hear about Sun’s Intel servers, let alone have their info taken for a call from a Value Added Reseller.
Anyway, the Monday after I got fired (for underperforming) was the day Oracle cancelled their contract with the company. They let go about half their employees that day.
And that’s my Sun Microsystems story.
Fuck 'em.
@shrdlu
Now why would anyone have anything against completely arrogant egotistical assholes who focus only on themselves, I wonder?
A memory of a corrupted quote from somewhere or other:
Hope it was a very nice glass of wine.