Sun considers GNU General Public License for Solaris - Computerworld

Sun considers GNU General Public License for Solaris - Computerworld: "Sun Microsystems Inc. may be selling servers running Linux, but that doesn't mean it's cutting back on the evolution of Solaris. Among its plans: The company is considering offering a free, open-source version of its flagship operating system, and offering Solaris with a version of its Java Desktop System, said Jonathan Schwartz, the company's recently appointed president and chief operating officer.
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Until now, Sun has made Solaris freely available to certain noncommercial users, but it hasn't released the Solaris source code and still charges $99 for a single-processor license. Adopting the GPL would dispel criticism "that if you can't build your own kernel, then you're not open," said Schwartz, calling that notion "a fantasy."
"I just find that kind of comic," he said. "Open standards are all about enabling more competition, not about enabling CIOs to have more source code. They don't want more source code."
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One area where Sun has remained constant is on the topic of whether it will ever sell the Windows operating system. Despite the company's recent landmark $2 billion deal with Microsoft Corp, Sun still has no plans to begin selling the rival operating system. "I doubt we'll ever sell Windows," Schwartz said. "Let's be clear: They are still the competition."