hopeful but skeptical
The two things I don't like about Sun are their face.

The more I read about Sun's software strategies, the more I see them morphing into the Microsoft of the Unix world. Releasing a proprietary hold on Java could be the critical difference, but they've been talking like this for years.

I was disturbed and confounded when I first read about the conflict over Tomcat. Frustrating open source implementations is contrary to the culture of Java and the JCP. I was relieved when it was resolved, but have remained wary of what the controversy implied.

If this is to be believed, then it could bring some healthy competition. Sun may be more intent on robbing the open source community versus actively supporting it, but there are a number of other viable competitors building on Java that are embracing open source as the fastest route to a better product. The proprietary push, inflated prices, and relative bugginess of Sun's initial offerings should continue to keep them from dominating any markets.

With Linux, Apache, Tomcat, JBoss, etc. continuing to win over unsatisfied customers, Sun executives seem to be accusing the open source community of biting the hand that feeds it. I strongly suggest they set arrogance aside and revisit the question of who fed whom.