Sun Microsystems may be warming up to the idea of selling Microsoft’s Windows operating system on its servers.

Tom Goguen, vice president of operating platform marketing for Sun, said this week that while Sun currently has no definite plan to strike a deal with Microsoft to sell Windows, the vendor will consider it if customers and partners think it’s a good idea.

“It depends on what our customers tell us to do,” Goguen said. “If we find enough customers that say we want you to have that type of relationship with Microsoft, [we will].”

This is a change from Sun’s previous public stance on whether it would ever sell Microsoft’s server operating system. Sun has certified Windows on its hardware based on x86 Advanced Micro Devices processors. However John Fowler, executive vice president of Sun’s Network Systems Group, said in April that Sun has no need to actually sell Windows because many customers already purchase the OS on their own and can get Windows support on Sun hardware through channel partners.

“It’s a pretty common question … when are we going to OEM Windows,” he said at the time. “I already think that the epic milestone has already passed, because we enable our Windows channel.”…
[Via InfoWorld: Top News]