According to Web visionary and SOA expert Miko Matsumara, there was only one certain result of there being two board factions at Sun Microsystems, one in favor of the IBM deal (the Jonathan Schwartz faction) and the other opposing (the Scott McNealy faction): "Mark my words, Schwartz is toast, IBM deal or no deal," declared Mastumara recently in his 'SOA Thoughts' blog. Now that Oracle has bought Sun instead, will the same apply?

Scott McNealy & Larry Ellison on SYS-CON.TV

"If the IBM deal fails completely ...look for Scott McNealy to pull a Michael Dell (or a Jerry Yang, depending on how you look at it) and to appoint himself CEO again. The board of Sun wouldn’t allow such a thing if there were even one viable suitor left. But there isn’t."

Matsumara was wrong about the last part. But is he right about the Schwartz part?

What do you think? Will Scooter McNealy possibly return as Sun's CEO under Larry Ellison?

• Oracle-Sun: Jonathan Schwartz Writes His Toughest Ever Email
• Oracle-Sun: $7.4BN Deal Will Close Already This Summer
• Oracle Buys Sun
• Oracle-Sun Deal Puts Java Back in the Limelight
• It's the End of Sun, Only Oracle Survives: Charles Fitzgerald
• Sun’s JavaOne 2009: Business As Usual