It sounds to me like Sun’s timetables are falling apart. Java Desktop System was supposed to be nothing more than a standard GUI and program set that worked on a wide range of OSes, including Linux and Solaris. The idea was to base as many of the applications and GUI components on Java as possible. As a stopgap measure, they’d use GNOME+Java Tools & Support while the Java desktop technologies matured.
The first version (which I purchased) was lacking in just about every area, including 3D support, developer support, Java support, and application management. It wasn’t a bad system, but it was incomplete. Solaris X Java Desktop System was supposed to follow closely behind and support both Sparc and AMD64 architectures. This would give Sun an OS foothold in just about every major Workstation/Desktop processor architecture in existence.
Now the hardware guys have finished creating Sun’s nextgen workstations before the nextgen OSes were truly ready for deployment. So this leaves Sun with a ton of Java branding that doesn’t tie together in any way, shape, or form. With any luck, the software guys will catch up in a month or two here, but I wouldn’t count on it.
Let this be a lesson to all of you who think an aggressive deadline should be no trouble. 
