Don't look for Sun Microsystems under the SUNW NASDAQ stock symbol; the company is changing its stock symbol to "JAVA." SUNW started trading in 1986 under the acronym that stood for "Stanford University Network Workstation." Sun President and CEO Jonathan Schwartz wrote in his blog that it's time to move forward: "SUNW represents the past, and its not without a nostalgic nod that we've decided to look ahead." Java, he points out, holds a lot more cache and touches just about anyone who uses the Internet. Consequently, the new ticker is expected to create a new set of connections that move beyond the traditional customer base of enterprise systems buyers. "Brands, like employees, aren't expenses, they're investments. Measuring their value is more art than science. But there's no doubt in my mind more people know Java than Sun Microsystems. There's similarly no doubt they know Java more than nearly any other brand on the Internet," he wrote.

For more on why Sun is changing its stock symbol:
- read Jonathan's blog
- see the article in eWeek