Sun To Change Stock Ticker Symbol to JAVA

Kind of gives you a clear indication where Sun (NASDAQ: SUNW) is headed, doesn’t it? It does give me a warm feeling too knowing Sun is so much committed to Java, a language I have been working on since 1996. The change will go into effect on Aug. 27.

“The Java brand and technology have evolved to be among the most pervasive on the internet, yielding extraordinary awareness for Sun and opportunity for the community that leverages it,” said Sun Micro Chief Executive Jonathan Schwartz in a statement. via MarketWatch.

Sun is clearly aiming for the services sector as I predicted several days ago in Sun Alumni mailing list.

Update:
Jonathan Schwartz, CEO of Sun explained the rationale behind the new branding:

Because Java touches nearly everyone - everyone - who touches the internet. Hundreds of millions of users see Java, and its ubiquitous logo, every day. On PC’s, mobile phones, game consoles - you name it, wherever the network travels, the odds are good Java’s powering a portion of the experience.

What’s that distribution and awareness worth to us? It’s hard to say - brands, like employees, aren’t expenses, they’re investments. Measuring their value is more art than science. But there’s no doubt in my mind more people know Java than Sun Microsystems. There’s similarly no doubt they know Java more than nearly any other brand on the internet.

I know that sounds audacious, but wherever I travel in the world, I’m reminded of just how broad the opportunity has become, and how pervasively the technology and brand have been deployed. Java truly is everywhere.

Ask a teenager if they know Java, and they’ll point to their favorite mobile applications, the video uploader for their social network, or their game console. As for working professionals, I had dinner with a financial analyst a few months ago who said he saw the Java launch experience “a few times a day” when accessing intranet applications - as did tens of thousands of his fellow employees. Daily. Global companies like Google and eBay (and Vodafone and Citigroup) are built on Java, every major PC manufacturer bundles Java upon shipment, as does every mobile phone manufacturer, and tens of millions of developers touch it every day in the world’s IT shops. Students learn it to get college credits for computer science, and there are more Java courses on university campuses than we ever imagined. Wherever it goes, Java brings limitless opportunity - to Sun, and to our partners that develop, use or deploy it.

He eulogized about the reach and brand value of Java & OpenOffice but significantly Solaris was left behind.