With some 350 million users, the RealOne player gives Sun a high-profile application that the company hopes will help draw more users away from Microsoft and toward its Linux-based OS. "We want to accelerate the growth of Linux for the desktop with a complete solution -- including software users are familiar with, such as the RealOne player," said Gary Little, Sun's product line manager for desktop solutions.

Feather in Mad Hatter's Cap

While the open-source Linux standard has gained a foothold in back-end systems, Sun is confident it can loosen Microsoft's stranglehold on the desktop. A hindrance to the acceptance of desktop Linux, thus far, has been a lack of applications.

Mad Hatter is touted as a complete desktop package, featuring Sun's StarOffice suite, which reads and writes all Microsoft file formats, as well as Sun ONE mail, calendaring and instant-messaging software.

"For a truly viable platform, you have to meet the requirements of users, and multimedia applications are now being used by businesses for video conferencing, sales training and other tasks," said Little.

RealNetworks Looks to Open Source

RealNetworks, too, is pushing into the open-source space with the recently developed Helix platform. Kevin Foreman, general manager of Helix, told NewsFactor that RealNetworks made its source code available in an effort to provide a next-generation player that runs on virtually every platform or chipset.

Mad Hatter initially will feature the RealOne player for Linux, with the Helix player serving as a replacement when it becomes available, said Foreman. Like Sun, RealNetworks is battling Microsoft and its Windows Media player, and recognizes the potential of desktop Linux.

"The only innovation appearing on the desktop is Linux, and we want to harness the power of the open-source community," Foreman said.

What About QuickTime?

Little said Mad Hatter already has generated a lot of interest, even though the official launch is about two weeks away. Indicating that Microsoft may be vulnerable, he said Sun is offering a high-end desktop product at a fraction of the cost of Office and Windows.

To be a viable alternative to Windows, Sun needs quality multimedia capability, because streaming has become an integral part of desktop functionality, said Yankee Group analyst Dana Gardner.

"The more interesting question is whether Apple's QuickTime will also be a part of Mad Hatter or other desktop Linux offerings," Gardner said, noting that the end user ideally should be able to access content in any format with a minimum of hassles.

A decision on accepting QuickTime will indicate whether Apple is allied with the open source community against the common enemy or is another competitor. It would also signal closer relationship between Sun and Apple, said Gardner.