He did however, under his watch transition Sun into having an exceptionally integrated software stack, which was something they (and everyone else) where always missing. The latest generation of solaris / netbeans / glassfish / etc. Is by far the best Java development platform I have worked with.
It rivals the integration of Microsoft products. Say what you will about Microsoft's products the integration of their languages IDE's, servers and databases is phenomenal. It is the main advantage of developing on their platform and Sun's newest stack was the only alternative that I have seen that was not a convoluted mess.
It is my sincerest hope that oracle does not screw that one up as after using it, if I where forced to go back to something else, it would be miserable.
> assumptions that defined Sun as a workplace
Sun as a company may be dead, but the ideas and values can live on. It's up to the people in that culture to clarify those and live them. If they manage to do that, than Sun the company was the first era of Sun the culture and the acquisition not the end.
(Putting on my remote hypnosis glasses): Repeat after me: "Sun is a brand, Oracle is a company".