Sun charges fee to download "free" Slowaris

A reader tells the INQ that after applying for a free Solaris 9 for Intel DVD some months back, then being switched to Solaris 8 for Intel or 9 for the SPARC platform, he decided to plump for the "free" version that came on DVD.

But sunrises came and went, moons waxed and waned, processor speeds went up and prices down, while he heard nary a thing.

Until yesterday, he said, when he received an e-missive from Sun offering him, in his own words, "the incredible opportunity to pay to download Solaris 8 for Intel."

He said: "As if the bottom had not dropped out of the market for bandwidth, Sun is trying to bait & switch from the free DVD to charging for an essentially free file transfer. Well, I say tough noogies Sun, their hardware hasn't been up to snuff for decades, I ain't paying to download Solaris".

Sun also seems to have changed the goalposts on licensing for Solaris 8. Originally, Solaris 8 was free of charge on machines up to four CPUs. But a change in the Ts&Cs appears to indicate that's dropped to one CPU, as it was for Slowaris 9 right from the start. The change to the CPU licence appears to have happened just a week or two back.

Here's the email from Sun:

To: xxx
Subject: Solaris DVD Offer Update
From: "Sun Microsystems"
Date: Tue, 20 Aug 2002
Reply-To: "Sun Microsystems"

You are receiving this email at XXX because you registered for the Solaris Operating Environment DVD giveaway offer. We respect your privacy and post our privacy policy prominently on our website: http://www.sun.com/privacy/

Dear XXX

Thank you for your interest in the Solaris[TM] Operating Environment. As stated in the giveaway offer, quantities were limited and offered on a first-come-first-served basis. Unfortunately, even after doubling our original quantities, demand exceeded supplies and we will not be able to send you the Solaris Operating Environment DVD that you requested.

The good new is you can still get a copy of the Solaris 8 or 9 Operating Environment -- without paying a license fee -- through the Free Solaris[SM] Binary License Program. Just go to http://wwws.sun.com/software/solaris/binaries/ and you'll have the choice of either downloading Solaris software or purchasing it for just the cost of media and shipping. While there is a nominal charge for downloading Solaris 8 SPARC[R] and Intel Platform Editions, we've made the Solaris 9 SPARC Platform Edition available as a free download!

World-class support is also available to make sure you get the most out of the software. Ranging from low-cost, online help to mission-critical, 24x7 coverage, Sun offers a variety of support options designed to meet just about everyone's needs.

For additional information on the Solaris Operating Environment, please visit our Web site at http://wwws.sun.com/software/solaris/ . Thank you again for your interest in Solaris software.

Sincerely,
Solaris Software
Sun Microsystems, Inc.