Roundup: VMware Buys SpringSource

ReadWriteWeb: "It might seem strange for a company focused on cloud computing and virtualization to buy up one whose core is enterprise application management. But according to a blog post by VMware CTO Steve Herrod, the aim of this acquisition is to provide a comprehensive platform as a service (PaaS), which can be run either in datacenters or external service providers. In other words, VMware wants to place itself alongside platforms such as Force.com or the Google AppEngine, but with a stronger focus on enterprise applications."

The New York Times: "'The role of the traditional operating system is changing,' said Paul Maritz, the chief executive of VMware, during a conference call to discuss the deal. Mr. Maritz argued that software developers pay less attention to operating systems than they used to and focus instead on software development systems like SpringSource that help them write code. So, VMware wants to capture the attention of more developers and convince them to build in tools tied to its virtualization software. 'Down the road, this will help transform VMware into being much more than it is today,' Mr. Maritz said."

ComputerWorld: "'VMware's been moving beyond the hypervisor,' said Maritz during a conference call Monday afternoon after the purchase was announced. 'We want to make virtualization more application-aware ... and the internal and external clouds significantly simpler to manage.'"

The Register: "The acquisition should also help VMware tap an army of open-source programmers already building web and enterprise developers with Spring, plus Apache and Groovy and Grails, for the cloud. By leveraging this developer base, VMware will also hope it remains relevant with those buying virtualization technology and faced with 'free' alternatives from Microsoft and open-source."

GigaOm: "So now VMware can take SpringSource’s Java tools and community and use that to pitch a platform to both company’s customers, who are likely already comfortable with both SpringSource’s Java platform and VMware for virtualization. For enterprise customers, such a platform-as-a-service offering combines two trusted brand names. Plus, many of them already have built applications using the SpringSource framework, so moving them over to a SpringSource-based platform in the cloud may be an easier step."

Elastic Vapor: "My read is: #1 Hyperic is about to get shut down. It's an unneeded asset for VMware, and #2, SpringSource becomes a focus point in VMware's cloud strategy, a strategy that sees itself becoming the key point of interchange when deploying to the cloud, be it an infrastructure focused offering or platform offering. VMware wants to be in the middle and now they will be. (Cloud Interoperability is now more important then ever)."