---
title: "Roller swallows IBM: Whose blogging revenues are they anyway, Sun?"
date: 2006-03-20T23:56:36Z
modified: 2006-03-20T23:56:36Z
permalink: "https://redmonk.com/jgovernor/roller-swallows-ibm-whose-blogging-revenues-are-they-anyway-sun/"
type: post
status: publish
excerpt: ""
wpid: 550
categories:
  - Uncategorized
timestamp: 2006-03-20T23:56:36Z
tags:
  - Uncategorized
---

IBM has now [standardised on Roller as a blogging platform](http://www-03.ibm.com/developerworks/blogs/page/jasnell?entry=new_blog_infrastructure), which means group blogging, tagging, and full ATOM support.



Note to Sun: You need to get your act together and start selling Roller support services or IBM may get there first. You surely don’t want this to be another market where others make more money on your intellectual property than you do? 



Like I [said recently](http://www.redmonk.com/jgovernor/archives/001340.html): 

> “The basic argument is that Sun would do well to build a new team tasked with putting pressure on its own software portfolio. This disruptive influence would ideally eschew technologies associated with the [Java Enterprise System](http://www.sun.com/software/javaenterprisesystem/).
> 
>  
> 
> For now IBM and Microsoft are **conflicted** when it comes to enterprise blogging software- both companies are focused on selling tools from the Lotus and Exchange/RTC portfolios, so that they can’t just sell a thin slice of blogging functionality. IBM and Microsoft see blogging as a new feature to sell existing toolsets, rather than a new billable service in its own right. Its not about good enough, its feature function.”

Of course Sun has gained other major benefits from blogging than a direct revenue stream, but why not get a direct source of revenue from the platform as well? Roller on Apache, hosted or installed. Work out a licensing model and move on. You already have customers in production. 



For now Roller is an internal tool at IBM, but how long before customers start asking for “the same thing you use”? When that happens IBM will work out a way to make money on the platform. 





Disclaimers: Sun is a client, IBM is a client. Microsoft occasionally pays us money.