Sun to release open source Solaris
- Reduce text size Decrease text size
- Increase text size Increase text size
- Print article Print
- Jump to comments Comment
- Share this article Share
- Email article to a friend Email
Sun is taking the fight to Linux with its own open source licence.
24 January 2005 Unix maker Sun Microsystems is to make the latest version of its Solaris operating system available in an open source environment, in a bid to establish an alternative to Linux.
On Tuesday Sun is expected to confirm that it will make the source code, which underpins its Solaris 10 software, available to the open source community. It is anticipated that Sun will reveal the details of its dynamic tracing feature which helps make applications run faster, with further source code released later this year.
Sun hopes the 'OpenSolaris' project will encourage programmers to use and develop its software, establishing an active community around Solaris.
But will not use the 'general public licence' (GPL), a set of rules developed by the Free Software Foundation that requires any alterations to the code must be made available for others to use, used by other open source distributions such as Linux.
Instead, Sun has developed its own licensing rules, called the Common Development and Distribution licence. According to Sun, the GPL is unsuitable, as Solaris contains elements from third party developers that it does not have the right to distribute.
Solaris 10 will be available as a free download at the end of the month, although Sun will charge support fees for most customers wanting updates.
