Why use Solaris x86

a) You have an in-house Solaris application and can recompile it to go onto x86 - not many people in this position

b) You have a number of Solaris admins and want a x86 *nix. Saves cross training them to a GNU/Linux distro, though there is still some cross training.

c) Your datacentre is Solaris/SPARC, and you only want a little x86 *nix

d) You need to have really effective SMP on your x86.

e) You have got fed up with the Red Hat upgrade treadmill and want a x86 *nix with longevity (this is becoming the No 1 reason)

The reasons why you might not use Solaris x86 are:

a) You have admins skilled in GNU/Linux

b) You need to use a proprietary application which isn't available for Solaris x86 (e.g. Oracle 11g ATM)

c) The commercial GNU/Linux distributions have a much bigger installed base, so you want to "go with the crowd"

d) You are worried about hardware compatbility

e) You are worried that Sun might go bust and leave you high and dry.

This announcement is about removing inhibitor (d) for another set of machines.