[LUAU] Ian Murdock’s Weblog » Joining Sun

[Jim Thompson]

Ian Murdock (the "Ian" in "Debian") has gone to work at Sun  
Microsystems.

http://ianmurdock.com/2007/03/19/joining-sun

> It is with regrets that I leave the Linux Foundation, but if you  
> haven’t figured out already, Sun is a company I’ve always loved,  
> and being a part of it was an opportunity I simply could not pass  
> up. I think the world of the people at the LF, particularly my  
> former FSG colleagues with whom I worked so closely over the past  
> year and a half: Jim Zemlin, Amanda McPherson, Jeff Licquia, and  
> Dan Kohn. And I still very much believe in the core LF mission, to  
> prevent the fragmentation of the Linux platform. Indeed, I’m  
> remaining in my role as chair of the LSB—and Sun, of course, is a  
> member of the Linux Foundation.

Barton weighs in: http://blogs.sun.com/barton808/entry/ 
ian_s_in_the_house
> I had a great talk with him last week and am excited by his  
> thinking, particularly around the area of Solaris and usability.    
> He mentioned that while he will be resigning as the CTO of the  
> Linux Foundation, he plans to remain as the head of the Linux  
> Standard Base, so that means Sun will be assured a representative  
> there :-)  Im also glad to hear that in true FOSS fashion he wont  
> be relocating.

Mark Shuttleworth likes it: http://www.markshuttleworth.com/archives/101
> Linux and Solaris - common ground ahead?
>
> SUN’s free software credentials took a big step forward today with  
> Ian Murdock’s decision to join the company. Congratulations all  
> round. Now we have to find a new CTO at the Linux Foundation, and  
> one with big shoes to fill. Hopefully, Ian’s experience will lead  
> to something ISV’s very dearly want - commonality and  
> standardisation across their non-Windows target platforms. Here’s  
> to an interesting year!

Simon Mink has visions of the next 25 years: http://blogs.sun.com/ 
webmink/entry/charting_the_next_25_years
> I'm delighted to be able to welcome a new colleague who's starting  
> with Sun today. He is starting a newly-defined role as Chief  
> Operating Platforms Officer at Sun, and is responsible for building  
> a new strategy to evolve both Sun's Solaris and GNU/Linux  
> strategies. The appointment is at the same time both brilliant and  
> controversial, but is the logical next step as far as I am concerned.

The pieces are falling into place.   Sun is obviously erecting a  
"better linux" named Solaris.

But wait, Debian is now "process run amok".  http:// 
www.linuxformat.co.uk/murdockint.html
And goodness knows that Sun has had similar problems.  Here's to  
someone dynamiting the log-jam.

Now if we could just get a GPLv3 Solaris "GNU System"....

Jim

p.s. Ian got ahold of his first Sun about the time I left the  
company, and Simon's "25 years" is making me feel really old.