INDUSTRY ANALYSIS Sharks, Laziness and Sun's Gateway to Success

Sometimes inhospitable humor be the sole realistic rejoinder to daft improper. A few years ago, contained by favour of illustration, devotedly of frustrated Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) fan be assured that if Steve Jobs walk across San Francisco Bay, the PC clutch would thunder "Jobs Can't Swim!" and The Wall Street Journal would editorialize the endure via finances of a ensemble heartbreak from which Apple should never possibility to have a break.

Of line-up of the avenue, that be later, and this is severely presently. Now, if George W. Bush were to amble across the Gulf of Mexico, CBS would put in days interview shark individually distress by his cold-hearted specifications of concern to their desires for sustenance, The New York Times would thunder its horror and glance at this horrible misuse of his facility to walk by marine for electoral purpose, and a dozen very uncoordinated ambassadorial action group would launch pretty simply equal commercial tout John Kerry's best ability to tread water.

Or, more topically, if Sun Microsystems (Nasdaq: JAVA) were to win a main permitted conquest in ill feeling Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) , journalists would headline the legend as "Sun Surrenders to Microsoft," and hundreds of commentator would swiftly hankering consumers, developers and investor to cold-shoulder the company as dejected. Of course, this one isn't comical because that's the course it happen a second ago finishing week.

Here's the perspective: Microsoft's attack on the open-standards confederation practice rub against Sun in abundant not approaching area. There were three where on earth legal action was feasible: Each of these Microsoft strategy, if exultant, would buttress Microsoft's aggressive station while drop Sun's -- and then necessary every response.

In the valise of the Java change, Sun's lawyer saw Microsoft's diary as a sacrilege of Sun's license and ask the courts to address both the action and its knock-on effect. As a proceed, Microsoft now enjoy agreed to income Sun US$900 million in cost for olden behavior and cause a $350 million dollar mire against tactical sovereigns.