Oracle to Acquire Sun for $7.4 Billion

The big industry news on Monday was the announcement that Oracle Corporation would acquire Sun Microsystems for approximately $7.4 billion. The acquisition would bring Sun controlled technologies such as Java, MySQL and Sun's workstations under the control of Oracle. The New York Times points out that Oracle sees Sun as a "software gem, skillful in computer design and ripe for cost-cutting."

The combined company, according to Oracle and Sun executives, will be able tweak and integrate its software to reduce costs and bugs, and to tighten security. Suns computer designers, they said, can tailor hardware to the combined companys software, promising further gains in efficiency.

Some are even calling the buyout an Apple-like maneuver with hopes to control the entire user-experience through tight software and hardware integration:

Jobs showed that locking the software to the hardware and focusing relentlessly on building a perfectly integrated system aimed at the customer, was the superior approach. He gave consumers a first-class experience and got to command premium pricing, protecting Apple's margins along the way.

The move will put an end to long-running rumors and speculation that Sun may acquire Apple or vice-versa. Apple and Sun had reportedly been in talks over the years and come close to merging on two separate occasions.