McNealy predicted Sun would dispel current gloomy predictions hovering around his company’s future, providing investors with financial payback during the next 10 years. Sun’s chief executive spoke as he joined executives in San Francisco, California, to launch the latest installment of his company’s N1 products. Sun announced the Sun Fire v210 and v240, Sun StorEdge 6120 and 6320 and PSX 1000 storage consolidation box (see separate stories).

McNealy claimed Sun spent $500m in research and development on these products, regarded by some as the company’s attempt to catch-up in the mid-range.

He positioned the products in the context of Java and Sun’s iForce partner program, which yesterday saw announcements around x86. Brooks Automation Inc, Check Point Software Technologies Ltd, MatrixOne, RSA Security Inc and SunGard became the latest to join iForce supporting Solaris on x86.

Sun is also railroading its Trusted Solaris operating system, used by government and telcos, into its mainstream Solaris operating system on x86 and Sparc. Trusted Solaris provides additional security features, like role-based user access, and the merged product will appear in Solaris 10, due next year (see separate story).

We have got messages that are going to create a lot of shock and awe in the industry, McNealy said pinching a phrase used by the US to describe the opening phase of its attack on Iraq.

He dismissed a range of issues that potentially challenge Sun’s future, from the threat posed by Intel Corp’s 64-bit platform to the apparent risk that Sun’s emerging x86 strategy will cannibalize its Solaris on Sparc business.

Instead, he claimed, issues such as the death of Unix at the hands of Intel are an on-going debate while Sun’s platform actually poses a threat to IBM’s mainframe business. We have become IBM’s worst nightmare. We have been unplugging the mainframe like crazy.

Absolutely I believe there is going to be some consolidating shift in the industry and I believe Sun is going to be at the front of the parade. A chip-ball is not the biggest driver in the industry today. We are going to emerge from the post bubble scenario stronger than ever, McNealy claimed.

He ruled out shock and awe in the realm of acquisition, with Sun instead preferring a stealth strategy. Sun will continue to buy companies with 40 to 50 employees like Pirus Networks Inc instead of making a Hewlett Packard Co-style PricewaterhouseCoopers bid.

We don’t want to compete with our partners… we are going to give good product so we can partner like crazy. I don’t see any major acquisitions on the horizon, he said.

Source: Computerwire