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SAN FRANCISCO—The president of Sun Microsystems Inc. is looking at ways to express his views and thoughts on certain things to the public, quite possibly in a Weblog, he said Monday.
Jonathan Schwartz, president and chief operating officer of Santa Clara, Calif.-based Sun, said he is seriously considering maintaining his own blog to communicate with the public regarding Java, Sun and other issues.
In fact, Schwartz attended a bloggers gathering at a local pub near the Moscone Center here, the site of the JavaOne show, where he said he was on hand to show solidarity with the blogging hoi polloi.
In an interview with eWEEK at the event, Schwartz said he is seriously considering beginning his own blog but is thinking through how he can get around disclosure regulations that involve high-ranking corporate officials.
“Its evident the traditional method of communication on the Web is being upended and just as weve seen everywhere else, sociology and technology are blending to create economic opportunities,” Schwartz said.
In an apparent jab at recent reports that Microsoft Corp. chairman and chief software architect Bill Gates is considering a blog of his own, Schwartz asked: “What other officer of a public company is going to start a blog?”
At the mention of Gates as a possible corporate officer who would blog, Schwartz said: “Id love to see it.”
Asked when he would update the blog and how often, Schwartz said it would not likely be very often, but that he would be able to update it “on airplanes.”
But, despite the issues regarding disclosure that surround Schwartz, he wants to press forward with the idea.
“Part of what I want is to dissolve boundaries,” Schwartz said. “The boundaries that are around me are huge and Im a little tired of it.”
Schwartz spoke of the Securities and Exchange Commission Regulation FD, which sets rules regarding fair disclosure and prohibits selective disclosure.
“Regulation FD says one of two things: Either I am explicitly prohibited from running a blog, or every conversation Im in must be put on my blog,” Schwartz said. “Or perhaps I can interpret it as I see fit,” he added.
However, completing his thought, Schwartz said, “No one should assume Im making forward-looking statements on my blog.”
Indeed his intentions would be strictly educational and supportive of the community, he said. “If you want me to talk about the evolution of Java, Ill do it in my blog.”
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