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Sun changing course on Itanium plans--again

Sun doesn't want to bring its Solaris operating sytem to Intel's Itanium chip. This week.

Stephen Shankland Former Principal Writer
Stephen Shankland worked at CNET from 1998 to 2024 and wrote about processors, digital photography, AI, quantum computing, computer science, materials science, supercomputers, drones, browsers, 3D printing, USB, and new computing technology in general. He has a soft spot in his heart for standards groups and I/O interfaces. His first big scoop was about radioactive cat poop.
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Stephen Shankland

SAN JOSE, Calif.--Sun Microsystems doesn't want to bring its Solaris operating sytem to Intel's Itanium chip. This week. Sun dallied with bringing its Solaris operating system to Intel's Itanium processor, but Chief Executive Scott McNealy on Monday voiced second thoughts--or perhaps fourth thoughts is a more accurate description. Sun started Itanium support in the 1990s, canceled it in 2000, then floated the idea again in July.

At a Solaris announcement event, McNealy updated the company's position. "We're not doing anything with Itanium," he said, to which President Jonathan Schwartz added, "There's just no volume." But there's still room for another change of heart. In his Web log Tuesday, Schwartz said Sun plans to announce "changes to its Itanium plans" next week.