Sun, Google in software distribution pact


Sun Microsystems Inc. and Google Inc. on Tuesday said they agreed to a multiyear pact for Google to promote Sun's software technologies in what amounts to a direct challenge of Microsoft Corp.'s dominance of business users' desktops.


Computer maker Sun and Web search company Google said they would jointly promote the Java Desktop, which runs thousands of PC programs, and OpenOffice, Sun's free office productivity software that aims to compete with Microsoft's Office.

Under the deal, Sun said it will include the Google Toolbar as an option when consumers download Java for the desktop.

Sun and Google share a common lineage, key employees at Google have worked at Sun, and both are rivals of Microsoft, the world's largest software company. By giving Google access to Sun's desktop and business productivity software, the deal marks the latest move by Google to compete more directly vs. Microsoft.

"I think it's a pretty natural partnership here," Scott McNealy, chief executive of Sun Microsystems, told a news conference in Silicon Valley.

"Working with Google will make our technologies available more broadly, increase options for users, lower barriers, and expand participation worldwide," McNealy said in a statement.

Financial terms were not disclosed. "There is going to be a lot of money flowing both ways if we do this thing right," McNealy said.
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The companies said the agreement seeks to make it easier for millions of users to obtain Sun's Java desktop software, the Google Toolbar and OpenOffice.org in what they said was "the next wave of Internet growth."

"The Google Toolbar offers useful Internet search services while Java enables richer interactive content," Google Chief Executive Eric Schmidt said. "We look forward to exploring other related areas of collaboration."

I can only speak for myself; but, I started using OpenOffice a few years back -- and took several years worth of proposals, spreadsheets and other business documents right along with the switch away from Microsoft Office.

I was worried when I left the Wintel world, this year [after 22 years] and switched to a Mac. But, NeoOffice/J -- which uses Java to bring the OpenOffice package over to OS X -- has maintained interoperability and access to my archived files.

Posted: Tue - October 4, 2005 at 05:19 PM