Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Sun Microsystems "Back In Black"

First off, Excuse me for diving right into this blog, I believe proper introductions are needed. This Blog is a compilation of GRNVoIP, staff thoughts about the VoIP industry and other events happening in related fields. You can call me the VoIPMan. I’m 22 years old, yes 22 and a VoIP Biz enthusiast. I come from a family of 7, and live in an apartment in NJ with my fiance Shannon. I commute to New York City via train. I like technology, the arts, (movies, music, films, writing, philosophy, books) history/world events, the environment , and to dabble in some other stuff here and there. I will be writing mostly about VoIP and related industries as described above, and will be throwing in as much of my personal insights as possible. Pardon me if I go off on tangents, I’m a big fan of abstraction.

So, Xchange Magazine, has an uplifting article about Sun Microsystems INC, written by Paula Bernier (subscription required) .The once giant in the Silicon Valley is making a comeback with their new CEO Jonathan Schwartz. He led a restructuring effort that cut headcount, consolidated real estate holdings, and lowered spending. Sun’s UltraSparc T2 chip (lowering power consumption), and Project Blackbox (mobile data center solution) will become available soon, and ready to boost profits. Sun’s Java technology is still holding strong and is synonymous with Sun in its Nasdaq stock ticker. Sun also maintains a close relationship with Google. Google is including Sun’s StarOffice suite, which is similar to Microsoft office but is open source like Solegy’s opensourcesip . Open Source applications are free to the public and can be developed by anyone. Which of course, is why they are so popular. You can read the full article in October’s Xchange Magazine.

I think that it’s great to see companies like Sun back in action. Innovative thinking is critical to surviving in a fast paced sector like technology. It’s important to keep up with news such as this (and exciting). In our business, we are always striving to emulate this model of cutting edge awareness.

Vonage Sued By Sunrocket's Asset Holding Company

With the shutdown of SunRocket last month, other Voip companies started to offer packages aimed at SunRocket’s former customers. Now SunRocket’s asset holding company Sherwood Partners, is suing Vonage for allegedly using SunRocket’s customer list without consent. SunRocket said that its customer list is "one of its single most valuable remaining assets," and that Vonage's useage of the list has led to "immediate and irreparable harm and injury." Vonage thinks otherwise and said it got the list from a marketing company. If Vonage is guilty of using the list, the ruling will compromise other Voip companies’ agreements with Sunrocket as well.

I find it incredible that Sunrocket has "risen from the dead," so to speak, (well not really, because the plaintiff in this case is the asset holding company) to sue Vonage. They're doing so in order to hold on to what leverage they possibly can. This case should be used to remind business owners that even with the "death" of a company, the rules still apply. Vonage could be finding itself down a whole lot of money if they lose the case (amongst other lawsuits).

It's crucial for employees or bosses to think their actions through. In todays business world, we are often rushed into making brash decisions. I think that everyone can use a little "jimmney cricket" telling them to slow down, and that the wise tortoise often wins the race over the crass hair. I'm not saying that employees or bosses should move too slowly, but they need to be careful, especially when working for a company like Vonage that is in the public eye, and consequentially "ripe for the pickins," in "sue me" America.

In my writing, I often find myself scared to publish anything, for lack of better terms. Usually, I overcome this fear with a few edits and a walk around the office, or maybe some sleep (hard to come by) if i'm at home, or get some coffee. Many people for instance, including those who really should know, don't understand copyright laws. Even if something isn't marked as copy-written, if it's created by someone else, it technically has a copyright. You can't copy this work, or else you can be fined or prosecuted. If someone is looking for content to add for a project, or something such as a website, they should look into other methods such as: creating original material, syndication, copyleft, donated material, ask for permission, or material in the public domain ( most of the government's material is included). And of course anything written before the year 1924 can be copied. This includes images as well (for you designers out there).

Patents last for 20 years usually, and they give inventors a heads up in the market with their product, service, or unique process. Someone else can come along and add a new feature, but can’t copy the invention. If the patent is dishonored, the offender can be subject to a civil lawsuit.

Lesson learned, be careful when you make business decisions or else you'll end up like Vonage.