🚀 go-pugleaf

Hi everyone,

Just a note that if you are upgrading to Solaris 10, and you want full 
access to all recommended and security patches for the new OS, you have to 
buy a 'service plan' from Sun if you don't have any other existing 
maintenance or service contract. There is an announcment about the change 
linked from the main SunSolve page at "http://sunsolve.sun.com". Sun's 
also changed the terminology to sound like like Microsoft (!), so patches 
are now 'software updates'. 8-)

I just had a look now and the cheapest service plan is US$120 a year and 
they are basing the pricing on the number of processors you use (which 
are called 'sockets'), so for a typical dual-CPU system like an Ultra 60, 
the minimium service plan price is US$240 for one year or just over 
US$600 for an extended 3-year plan! Ouch.

If you don't have a service plan the only patches you can download for 
free are security and hardware driver updates! That probably won't bother 
grass-roots users (students, non-profit businesses, educators, etc.) but 
it will affect small buiness significantly.

The new policy is more restrictive than the previous policy under which 
Sun made recommended and security patch kits available for free to 
everyone. Do you think this will turn a LOT of end-users away from Solaris 
(and Sun's hardware in general)? I tend think that it will - especially 
small businesses, etc. It'll put Solaris only in the market for medium to 
large enterprises and other segments are likely to skip Solaris in favour 
of an open-source Linux of *BSD OS. Particularly since Sun is now 
favouring Opteron-based hardware designs and effectively building 
'Sun-badged PC-type' workstations and lower-end servers.

Regards,

Craig.

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