Sun: All Sun One Software Will Be Built Into Solaris

Speaking at a software executive meeting here in early November, Schwartz said Sun also will change the pricing structure of its software products to reflect a move to a "per-capacity" model. He declined, however, to elaborate on how this model would work or affect the stand-alone pricing of different product editions.

Schwartz did say that versions of the software built into Solaris, such as the directory and application server already in Solaris 9, would be "limited use" and offered free, while the stand-alone products would have larger feature sets and higher-use capabilities.

Sun's decision to offer software on a per-capacity model stems from customer feedback, Schwartz said. CIOs are fed up with "all-you-can-eat" pricing and would rather pay on a per-user or monthly subscription basis, which is more consistent with their fiscal needs, he said.

Though not yet finalized, Sun's new pricing model will be something along those lines, Schwartz said.

Sun also will begin offering all of its software and Solaris upgrades at the same time to further enhance product integration, he said.

In recent months, Sun executives have shed little light on the issue of bundling software with Solaris. The company has indicated that it plans to increasingly bundle its software into Solaris running on Sun hardware.

Brad Murphy, vice president of business development at Paris-based solution provider Valtech, which has U.S. offices in Raleigh, N.C., said Sun has the right idea about its software strategy. "Sun sees the big picture, and they believe in standards," he said.

He added, however, that Sun has yet to prove its viability as a strong software presence. "Whether they can survive as a major software player is another story."