Scott McNealy says goodbye to Sun staff

Outgoing Sun Microsystems chairman Scott McNealy has sent a goodbye memo to staff, telling them they are in great hands with Oracle.

The memo, entitled 'Thanks for a great 28 years', calls on staff to embrace the merger, and concentrate on making the transition as smooth as possible.

"This combination has the potential to put Sun, its people and its technology at the centre of yet another industry- and game-changing inflection point," he wrote.

"The opportunity is well documented and articulated by [Oracle chief executive] Larry [Ellison] and the Oracle folks. Not much I can add on this score. This is a very powerful merger. And way better than some of the alternatives we were facing."

McNealy acknowledged that the situation was not his first choice of outcomes for Sun, but that he loved the market economy and capitalism more than he loved his company. He added that his chief priority now is to raise his four children, Maverick, Dakota, Colt and Scout.

"Oracle is getting a crown jewel of the technology industry," he said. "They will do great things with Sun. Do your best to support them, and keep the Sun spirit alive and well in the industry. Our children will be better for it."

Meanwhile Craig Muzilla, vice president of middleware at Red Hat, added his congratulations to the merger, and said that he is confident that Oracle will protect Java.

"Now, as the Java platform changes hands, we have high hopes that Oracle will not only serve as a faithful steward of this important technology, but will be a positive force in driving the future of Java in collaboration with members of the Java Community Process," he wrote in a blog post.

"Additionally, Oracle has an opportunity to grow customer and vendor adoption of Java, not by imposing undue licensing requirements that might be contrary to the principles of Java accessibility, but by making the process more open and the technology more accessible."

Muzilla explained that Red Hat had taken a leadership role in the Java Community Process for many years, and is committed to keeping Java open. He added that he believes Oracle feels the same way.