With cloud computing, users access Internet-hosted applications rather hosting them on their own in-house hardware. Sun still is on track to offer its Sun Cloud service this summer, said Lew Tucker, CTO of cloud computing at Sun, during an interview at the in Santa Clara, Calif. on Wednesday. But asked whether he could offer any assurances about the program in light of Oracle's planned buyout of Sun, Tucker said he could not comment on anything to do with the Oracle acquisition at this point.

"We're continuing our plans as business as usual," said Tucker, acknowledging the fate of Sun Cloud would rest with Oracle.

Oracle has not released any public statements about its intentions for Sun Cloud. But in the past, Oracle Chairman Larry Ellison has been critical of the cloud computing concept. The industry, Ellison said at a meeting with analysts last year, had redefined cloud computing to include "everything that we currently do." Also during that session, Ellison famously asked, "What the hell is cloud computing?"

"I don't understand what we would do differently in the light of cloud computing other than change the wording on some of our ads," Ellison said at the time. But he also said Oracle would make cloud computing announcements and not fight it.