[toyg]

IBM needed one thing from SUN: Java.

Oracle needed two things from SUN: Java and hardware.

Nobody else had the money or the inclination to buy the company. Going with Ellison was the least-worst option.

I just find it funny how people who very obviously had it coming (i.e. Solaris, various opensource projects, etc - stuff that very obviously wasn't making money and would likely never make money), didn't see it coming.