Sun Microsystems Inc is forging ahead with the plan to swap-out Netscape Communications Corp and other web server software for its own WebServer on its Netra and other internet hardware. It’s all part of Sun’s ongoing strategy to deliver ‘WebTone’ services to organizations – the Sun WebTone that is. WebServer will eventually be integrated into the Solaris operating system itself, as Sun figures basic HTTP and web services will in future be built directly into operating systems. Companies such as Netscape will be selling applications on top. Sun says Netscape- based system sales account for only 15% of its web server hardware sales in any case, NCSA and Apache web servers take care of the majority of the business. WebServer will replace them all, and includes tools for converting existing web server extensions to work with it. Sun’s SMCC hardware unit bundles Netscape’s various server offerings for creating and delivering web content with Netra and other internet systems it sells and didn’t seem very keen on the prospect of having to trash it from its price list last time we spoke to them. No-one was available for comment. Senior Netscape executives, which had originally called the whole on-off WebServer affair a manifestation of the organizational complexity in Sun, are reportedly hopping mad. Meantime, Wall Street has been trying to figure out what it all means, figuring bad news for Netscape. Sun says WebServer – which becomes generally available in June – is designed for corporations, government, higher education and ISPs and will handle large numbers of internet and intranet users. It says its plan to load-up the WebServer with Servelet server-side Java applet delivery services, high-availability, load-balancing, Corba IIOP plug-ins and content management and analysis over this year and next, requires specific HTTP execution and scheduling that only WebServer can supply. What value is Netscape adding to Solaris or NT or another other platform anyway? Sun asks. Frankly they need to develop their software… Netscape applications are becoming commodity items. Sun is offering SunScreen SPF-200 and EFS 2.0 internet security and firewall software; Security Manager, and SunScreen SKIP for secure connections to Windows for use with WebServer.
