Defending those sales has become more difficult as Sun’s customers on Wall Street curtailed their technology spending because of the financial turmoil. Sun is more dependent on Wall Street business than rivals like I.B.M., Hewlett-Packard and Dell.

“We were certainly the first to enter this,” Mr. Schwartz said, “and I would like to believe we will be the first to exit it.”

Late last month, Sun reported a first-quarter loss of $1.68 billion and a 7 percent year-over-year drop in revenue to $2.99 billion. At the time, Sun cautioned that it would probably reorganize to bring costs in line.

While Sun has talked of a “new reality,” its investors have been reacting to the company’s larger issues for some time. Sun’s shares have lost more than 80 percent of their value in the last year, reducing the company’s market value to $3 billion.

In its last fiscal year, Sun posted revenue of $13.8 billion and has $2 billion in cash.

Southeastern Asset Management, an investment firm based in Memphis, has increased its stake in Sun to more than 20 percent in the last year. Recently, it disclosed an intention to talk with Sun’s management and possibly other companies about the ways to make the most of Sun’s assets, which include a vast software intellectual property portfolio.

In addition, Relational Investors, founded by the activist investor Ralph V. Whitworth, has purchased close to 15 million shares of Sun since the end of June, giving it close to a 3 percent stake in the company.

Mr. Schwartz maintained that these large Sun investors agree with the company’s strategy. “I just met with Ralph,” Mr. Schwartz said. “We’re all focused on the same thing.”