Lines are beginning to blur between the open source and commercial versions of the Sun Microsystems Solaris Unix operating system.

I have come across Solaris a few times. Sun makes its own Unix operating system, called Solaris. I have heard and read many good things about Solaris, especially on Sun hardware and in big enterprise environments.

Here's how it works: Novell owns Unix's IP (intellectual property). SCO sold Unix's IP to Sun. Sun then included some Unix IP into Solaris. Finally, Sun open sourced Solaris as OpenSolaris. Sounds like trouble, doesn't it?

For some strange reason, I keep going back to Open Solaris. Maybe it's the beautiful Gnome desktop, well arranged and streamlined. Maybe it's the belief that Sun, one of the great technology leaders in the past 30 years, can deliver a usable operating system intended for the home market. And maybe it's my desire to crack open the frightening secrets of UNIX, for Linux, Open Solaris is not.

Back in August we shared that Sun would be discontinuing SXCE, or formally known as Solaris Express Community Edition.

In 1997, I decided to come join the kernel team at Sun Microsystems because I was eager to work on Solaris-- the best operating system on the planet. I was very privileged to work on some incredible technology over many years with some of the most talented engineers in the industry.

Sun Microsystems is revamping its Solaris operating system, incorporating key pieces of rival Linux software in a move that could gain better support from developers who have massed behind Linux.

Recently, the executive director of the Linux Foundation, came out basically saying that Solaris, Sun's recently open-sourced operating system, will never go anywhere. He even took a shot at it being open-source, saying that open-sourcing it was 'too little and too late'

An internal Oracle memo that was released last week provides a detailed summary of the company's plans for the Solaris operating system, which Oracle obtained when it acquired Sun. The memo offers a mix of good and bad news for Solaris enthusiasts.