Sun remains rival in some areas
SeattlePI | at | by Mike
Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer recently called the people at Sun Microsystems "our new partners," referring to the pact in which the companies resolved their legal disputes and vowed to cooperate on a broad range of issues. That may be so, but even with their deal, the two companies remain staunch competitors in some key areas.
Two of them are particularly close to Microsoft's heart, and its wallet: operating systems and productivity software for desktop computers. In those areas, Sun launched a challenge to Microsoft's Windows and Office franchises with the release last year of its Java Desktop System, a Linux-based operating system that comes with Sun's StarOffice productivity suite and other programs.