The practice will help users plan, architect, and implement technology for portal computing, supply-chain management, and E-commerce. "We are not all things to all people," says Mark Bauhaus, VP of the Sun .Com Consulting practice. Bauhaus says Sun will continue to partner with systems integrators such as EDS, Cambridge Technology Partners, and KPMG to deliver end-to-end E-commerce offerings.

In addition, Sun says it will beef up its project-management skills for the consulting practice.

To date, some of the clients that Sun's consultants have been working with include GTE, E-Trade, and Discover Brokerage.

Meanwhile, president and chief operating officer Ed Zander says that over 200,000 copies of StarOffice 5.1, Sun's Java-based office productivity suite, have been downloaded since it was made available last week. The company also today took the wraps off its SunRay 1 thin client.