In an interesting move clearly aimed at expanding their market share in the developing world, Sun Microsystems have today announced a new pricing model for their Java Enterprise System for users in developing nations.
The new pricing ranges from a mere 33 US cents per citizen per year, up to a larger but still incredibly low USD 1.95 per citizen per year. Prices are presumably based on licenses being bought for everyone in the country.
The exact price per country is worked out using two factors, the first being the number of citizens in the country, and the second being the stage of development of the country as defined by the UN's Department of Economic and Social Affairs classification.
John Loiacono, executive vice president of Software at Sun, had the following to say about the new pricing:
The Java Enterprise System radically reshapes the way software is architected, acquired and managed for enterprises, and we are continually extending the Java Enterprise System to new markets, new price points, new applications and new platforms. Today, we are doing the same for entire nations. With our new per citizen pricing model, governments of developing nations can now reallocate punitive software licensing fees to critical tasks such as healthcare and education. And the expanded platform support allows these nations to deliver network services to citizens and customers on the architecture of their choice.
This pricing model is laying down the gauntlet for providers of alternative software products to provide developing nations with affordable software. Whether or not they believe the market exists or indeed they believe they can undercut Sun or offer greater value for money remains to be seen.
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