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Hey -- I like the idea of Sun buying Apple. The Internet meets the Internet. Content and servers. Clients not far behind.
Guy Kawasaki says "Stop The Hegemony!" This deal, if properly implemented, would stop it cold.
Sun is so cold. Cold feet and cold hearts. They have the chance to be great, and they're letting a few shares of inflated stock stand in the way. At least if you believe the New York Times. Check it out.
http://www.nytimes.com/library/cyber/week/0125apple.html
"We can get them for less," I imagine someone at Sun saying. "Who cares if Apple's market evaporates in the meantime?"
If they had warm hearts at Sun, they'd realize that their stock is overvalued. Java is nice, but Microsoft is right -- it isn't there yet. The Internet could still be Visual Basic Land. 3 million users. It might not be a cup of coffee. It could happen.
Fear! Sometimes it *is* prudent to give in to your fear. The Java strategy could use an insurance policy. Apple is cheap at $4 billion when you look at it this way.
It's not time to be quibbling over small amounts of money. Think big, Scott McNealy, Bill Joy, Eric Schmidt and John Doerr.
The developers are still making great software. If you doubt me, ask Bill Gates. His company just shipped a very respectful web browser for the Mac. There's heat in this platform. Don't let Microsoft off the hook. Let the Mac drift and your impossible dream once again becomes impossible.
Think of Apple as a power plant in Sim City. It's turned off. We'll turn it back on. $4 billion is cheap compared to the value of the installed base. Lots of people know how to make Mac software. You don't forget how to do it. It's like riding a bicycle or skiing. When the heat comes back to the Mac platform, when you let love be the driving process not fear, the lights will come back on just like a Sim city with a new power plant.
Developers want to have fun. While there's all this hand-wringing in FinanceLand, the magic on the Mac platform just keeps happening. Don't focus on Markkula and Spindler. They're vestiges of an old world that's finally ready to give up. Make a gift to the young creative people who are charged by the energy of the Internet. Sun could lead the parade, with their friend Netscape, and their new friends -- the Mac community.
We could dance again!
Let's put it in perspective.
Apple is a legend. Two guys in a garage.
Apple is a logo, as admired and recognized as "Mickey Mouse" and "Forrest Gump".
The Mac is the platform of Great Content and Great Geek Tools. More on the way.
But most important, it's a community. Millions of people who don't want to use Windows. The creativity of this community is fueling the growth of the web.
Sun, if you plan to eventually buy Apple, you're making a big mistake by jerking around this community. You're going to need their trust. Microsoft wants it. If this is a tactic, if you think someday you might buy Apple, you're being as inept at managing this platform as Markkula was.
Sun is a great company.
Maybe they forgot?
Sun is the platform of Great Iron and Big Pipes.
Servers. Unix. Java.
What a marriage!
They could have it for stock.
Do the deal guys. Get over it.
Let's Have Fun!
Dave Winer
PS: The Times home page is at http://www.nytimes.com/. The best website yet!
PPS: Congratulations to Heidi Roizen, heidir@aol.com, Apple's new VP-Developer Relations. She's a great choice and a great asset. She's walking *in* the door! Thank you Heidi for believing. And thanks to Dave Nagel for bringing in a veteran developer to be your top developer person. Guts all around in this deal. Coooool.
PPPS: MacroMedia's ShockWave plugin for Netscape/Mac is shipping! For the quickest demo, check out http://www.mediaband.com/.
PPPPS: Remember, Platform is Chinese Household. Would Sun be a good husband? First test. Is he cheap? Hmmm. Good husband? Uhhhhh.