Sun set.

We interrupt our coverage of my visit to Prague with this special bulletin.

Rhonda and I spent the final night of our three-week Japan trip where it all started for us - the Odakyu Hotel Century Southern Tower, where we stayed on our honeymoon in 2004. We checked out of our other hotel, took a cab to the Southern Tower, and checked our bags as we were much too early for check in. We decided to head across the terrace near Shinjuku Station's new south exit to the Takashimaya Times Square department store.

As we headed across the terrace, down on the station facing us, was a giant Oracle billboard. That's when we knew that as nice as it was to get away from it all for three weeks - the worry, the insecurity, the pressure - this day would come.

Much of the fireworks I expected last week in Prague carried over to this week. Last Thursday, Oracle scheduled a webcast for today to discuss Sun integration and roadmaps. The same day in Europe, the EC gave their blessing to the merger, setting the wheels finally in motion. Overnight last night, there were many media reports, including one from the AP that Oracle had closed its acquisition of Sun.

Inside Sun, there have been a wide range of emotions, from jubilation that we'll soon receive closure, to all-out depression from the SMI lifers. There have been a few rather poignant tributes to Sun, from James Gosling's tombstone image to a touching musical tribute from Alec Muffet, finally resulting in this email from Scott McNealy.

About halfway through college, perhaps spurred on by a free Java t-shirt that I wore with fanboy pride until the logo was disintegrating, I decided Sun Microsystems was the company I wanted to work for. In late 1999, only 18 months out of college and in my second job, I was able to make that happen. With a new girlfriend that would later be my wife, and a new job at a company whose technology and culture I held with the highest esteem, I felt on top of the world at 23. (I know, what a sap I was.)

To its credit, Sun did not disappoint. While I haven't always been completely satisfied with my job or with the work I was being given, I always greatly enjoyed working at Sun. From the company dress code ("you must") to the mission statement ("kick butt and have fun"), Sun's culture has been a perfect fit for my working style. I've also felt Sun has conducted itself ethically in its pursuit of profit. I'd even forgiven Sun for its roots as the Stanford University Network (however, former chief technologist Bill Joy is a Berkeley guy).

Which leads to today, where I am feeling more conflicted than I thought I would be. The last few years have been difficult and stressful career-wise, and working for Sun had lost a bit of the luster that it held for me at the turn of the millennium. The nice thing about this week has been remembering and rediscovering what I thought was so great and special about Sun in the first place. While I'm sad that it had to come to this, I would rather see Sun end up with a buyer that values its technology (and, hopefully, its employees) and is going to do something new and forward-thinking with it, than to be bought for its customer list and sent to the slaughter. The alternatives to Oracle could have been much, much worse.

So I'm definitely willing to give this the benefit of the doubt. We'll see what happens over the coming weeks - if I even have a job by then, although things are looking promising. Things are going to move fast and furiously (which is never good for my blogging output) and while life as we know it is going to change at Sun (and will it ever), there is perhaps a second life for this company I love.

And the sun will rise tomorrow.