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Sun co-founder set to depart

Mike Ricciuti CNET News

Published: 09 Sep 2003 15:25 BST

Sun Microsystems on Tuesday said that Bill Joy, its co-founder and chief scientist, is leaving the company.

Joy helped develop many Sun technologies, including its Java software, SPARC microprocessor architecture and the Solaris operating system.

Greg Papadopoulos, currently Sun's chief technology officer and executive vice president, will take over Joy's responsibilities. The company did not specify why the 48-year-old Joy is leaving or what his plans are. Sun representatives were not immediately available for comment.

"Bill will continue to be an inspiration to all innovators," Scott McNealy, Sun's chief executive, said in a statement.

Joy co-founded Sun, originally an acronym for Stanford University Network, with McNealy in 1982. Before that, Joy was the designer of the Berkeley version of the Unix operating system and helped to pioneer the concept of open source.

More recently, Joy found himself at the centre of controversy after he wrote an article for Wired magazine on the challenges posed to mankind by new technologies such as nanotechnology, robotics and genetic engineering.

Joy's departure comes after more than two decades of work at the high-tech stalwart.

"For 21 years, I've enjoyed the opportunities for innovation provided to me at Sun, but I have decided the time is now right for me to move on to different challenges," Joy said in a statement.