Like I said we need to make sure all are informed so...


http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmp...=11&u=/nm/2003
1002/bs_nm/tech_sunmicro_dc

Analyst: Sun Micro Facing 'Crisis'
By Duncan Martell

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Network computer maker Sun Microsystems Inc.
(Nasdaq: SUNW -news ) should slash as much as 19 percent of its work force
and tighten its product focus or it could become a takeover target, an
influential Wall Street analyst said on Thursday.

"Sun faces a crisis," Merrill Lynch analyst Steve Milunovich wrote in an
unusual note to clients, which was in the form of an open letter to Chief
Executive Scott McNealy and the company's board.

"On its current course ... Sun is likely to suffer further share and
financial losses, become irrelevant to most users, and eventually be
acquired for its installed base."

Milunovich, who rates Sun stock as "neutral," outlined several areas that
the company could address, including cutting up to 7,000 jobs, spinning off
technology such as its Java software, hiring a chief operating officer and
giving McNealy "a make-over."

"Scott's brash and contrarian personality have been synonymous with the
company's image and success," he said. "Unfortunately, the act is getting
old."

"I've not heard back from Scott yet," Milunovich said in a telephone
interview.

Sun has suffered more than rivals International Business Machines Corp.
(NYSE: IBM -news ), Hewlett-Packard Co. (NYSE: HPQ -news ) and Dell Inc.
(Nasdaq: DELL -news ) since the dot-com bubble burst and the
telecommunications industry slump began almost three years ago. It has
reported declining revenue for the last nine quarters and has lost market
share to rivals.

OTHER ANALYSTS ALSO CALL FOR JOB CUTS

While corporations are starting to renew technology purchases, they are
favoring systems that run on less expensive, standardized microchips from
Intel Corp.(Nasdaq: INTC -news ) and use the Linux ( news -web sites )
operating system, rather than Sun's servers, analysts have said.

Asked which firm might be a likely bidder for Sun, Milunovich said: "It's
very hard to say. Obviously, a larger computer company, so you're talking
IBM, HP, possibly Fujitsu, with whom they've had a relationship."

Speculation that Sun might be bought has surfaced periodically since the
company went into its downward revenue spiral, but McNealy has repeatedly
said that Sun would be the buyer, not the seller, in any deal, pointing to
its $5.7 billion in cash.

Sun spokesman Andy Lark declined to comment on the acquisition question,
adding that "we don't have any widespread work force reductions planned
right now, but we have been clear in saying that it we don't meet our goals,
we would revisit the question of the appropriate size of our work force." He
said the company does not comment on analyst research as a matter policy.

Sun is already trimming about 1,000 jobs across the company, adding to the
more than 3,500 it has already cut in the past two years. Its total work
force now stands at about 36,000.

Milunovich's remarks came just days after the company surprised Wall Street
by warning of a wider-than-expected loss in the current quarter.

Other analysts have also questioned whether Santa Clara, California-based
Sun has done enough to cut costs and jobs, with Goldman Sachs and Sanford C.
Bernstein analysts earlier this week suggesting further job cuts.

Sun's shares closed down 5 cents at $3.20 on Thursday, after sliding about 3
percent to their lowest level in about six months, and were the most
actively traded on Nasdaq.

Even though Milunovich was harsh in his criticism of Sun, he said it was not
yet a foregone conclusion that Sun would go the way of Silicon Graphics,
Digital Equipment Corp., Data General, and other once high-flying
high-technology companies that were either acquired or marginalized by
competition.

"I don't think it's too late," Milunovich told Reuters, who said this was
the first time he had written an open letter to a company he covers. "I
think they're at an important inflection point. I do think they have to make
some tough decisions." (With additional reporting by Franklin Paul in New
York)

--
Boyd Gerber <gerberb@zenez.com>
ZENEZ 1042 East Fort Union #135, Midvale Utah 84047

On Thu, 2 Oct 2003, Boyd Lynn Gerber wrote:

> Like I said we need to make sure all are informed so...
>
>
> http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmp...=11&u=/nm/2003
> 1002/bs_nm/tech_sunmicro_dc
>
> Analyst: Sun Micro Facing 'Crisis'
> By Duncan Martell

REST SNIPPED

Boyd,

In your earlier postings, you seem to support the right of a copyright
holder to defend their copyright, yet, here you post the entire text of an
article. Isn't that a copyright infringment? Why the double standard?

"Joe Dunning" <joedunning1234@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:Pine.LNX.4.44.0310021643270.22138-100000@c941211-a...
> On Thu, 2 Oct 2003, Boyd Lynn Gerber wrote:
>
> > Like I said we need to make sure all are informed so...
> >
> >
> >
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmp...=11&u=/nm/2003
> > 1002/bs_nm/tech_sunmicro_dc
> >
> > Analyst: Sun Micro Facing 'Crisis'
> > By Duncan Martell
>
> REST SNIPPED
>
> Boyd,
>
> In your earlier postings, you seem to support the right of a copyright
> holder to defend their copyright, yet, here you post the entire text of an
> article. Isn't that a copyright infringment? Why the double standard?

Actually it is not copyright infringment because he is giving credit
where credit is due. The worst he could do in this situation is
be nailed for plagerism but he also provided the proper references.

I think it would be copyright infringement if he had to pay for the
article (like access to articles on http://online.wsj.com/public/us) and
then offering the text to the newsgroup without us paying for it, but
this article is in the public domain and available for viewing.

moncho