Sun Java Desktop System, Release 2 vs. solaris 10
 

this is a newbie question but I just wanted to know what the difference is between Sun Java Desktop System, Release 2 vs. solaris 10. Or are they the same OS where one is for desktop purposes and one is geared towards server purposes?

thanks

Solaris 10 is an O/S (SunOS 5.10) suitable for both desktop or server purposes, *plus* a choice of graphic environments, including JDS 2 and CDE.
JDS 2 is a gnome based graphic environment available with both Solaris 10 and sun Gnu/Linux distribution.

thanks, but this raises another question now, what's the difference between Solaris 10 and sun Gnu/Linux? can you run linux apps on both OS's?

thanks

Thats depends on how deep you dig ... ;)
I guess you can run Linux app on Gnu/Linux (but it is not guaranteed and depends on the app. and the distro), and you can (or you will be able to) run LSB compliant linux apps on Solaris 10 running on x86 H/W with what is called the Janus project.