The Most Hated Company In Tech - SCO's huge Linux suit against IBM.....

Business Week ^

[Sub-Driver]

The Most Hated Company In Tech SCO's huge Linux suit against IBM is a long shot that may yield nothing but bile

He can't say he wasn't warned. In June, 2002, when Darl McBride was getting ready to take over as chief executive at struggling Caldera International Inc. in Lindon, Utah -- later renamed SCO Group Inc. -- he mused that claiming ownership of some of the underlying code in the popular Linux computer operating system could keep the company afloat. Even though Caldera's revenues were declining, it was losing $5 million per quarter, and its stock had slid below the $1 NASDAQ delisting price, the reaction of outgoing CEO Ransom Love was instantaneous. "Don't do it," Love says he told McBride. "You don't want to take on the entire Linux community."

McBride did it anyway. Last March, he shook up the computer world by filing a $3 billion suit against tech giant IBM (IBM ), claiming Big Blue had illegally inserted more than 800,000 lines of SCO-owned software code into Linux. Since then, McBride has turned up the heat. In December, SCO sent letters to more than 1,000 Linux customers accusing them of illegally ....

[af_vet_rr]

SCO has nothing to lose, even when they were called Caldera, etc. If you look at their financial records for the past 10-15 years it's a wonder that they ever survived.

[Young Rhino]

Further evidence of the difference between intelligence and common sense.

[Old Sarge]

Makes me wonder.

If William the Impeached has pursued al-Qaeda with the same fervor he pursued Microsoft - and thus, showed these folks at SCO the way - how would things be different?

[N3WBI3]

ANd this is a part that was ignored in great detail, Caldera itself released UNIX code under GPL...

[Wonder Warthog]

"As a result of all this, SCO has become the most hated company in the tech world, surpassing, at least temporarily, Microsoft Corp."

Nah---for all intents and purposes, they ARE Microsoft, since M'soft is providing most of the money to keep them afloat.

All part of M'soft's campaign to derail competition from Linux.

[Minn]

"As a result of all this, SCO has become the most hated company in the tech world, surpassing, at least temporarily, Microsoft Corp."

Nah---for all intents and purposes, they ARE Microsoft, since M'soft is providing most of the money to keep them afloat. All part of M'soft's campaign to derail competition from Linux.

I have never heard that before. Got a source?

[Wonder Warthog]

"I have never heard that before. Got a source?"

It's further down in the part of the article not excerpted. One relevant portion says:

"But who stands to gain the most from an SCO win? Microsoft. Linux is the primary force standing between Microsoft and domination of the computer world. The software giant is happily fanning customers' fears with an anti-Linux campaign while pumping money into SCO. Even though neither company has disclosed a dollar figure, sources close to SCO say Microsoft has spent more than $12 million on SCO licenses."

There are other parts of the article giving further evidence:

"SCO had $24.3 million in sales, up 57% from the year before, owing largely to license fees from Microsoft and Sun Microsytems Inc."

So Microsoft accounted for ~50% of SCO's "sales" in the current fiscal year.

[js1138]

Once and future caldera

[js1138]

I have never heard that before. Got a source?

Who needs a source? It's not the evidence here that's important, but rather the seriousness of the charge.

[amigatec]

Ping Please!!

[glorgau]

Wow, a scam hatched by a Mormon from Utah! Who would believe such a thing? In my opinion, the hallmark of a Mormon is the ability to keep inscrutable ideas in their head as long as it supports their current desires - be it cash, multiple women, whatever. Given a desire, God will provide a command!

Just my opinion of course ;-)

[rdb3]

The Penguin Ping.

Wanna be Penguified? Just holla!

Got root?

[Nick Danger]

Who needs a source? It's not the evidence here that's important, but rather the seriousness of the charge.

Who needs to read the article? It's not reading comprehension that's important, it's making ignorant drive-by remarks.

[js1138]

Sorry if my sarcasm was missed. That line used to be a Limbaugh favorite.

[Salo]

Darl has made a handsome living suing people. He sued his former employers, Ikon. BTW, that's a typo: he's a *moron*. ;-)

[antiRepublicrat]

Wow, a scam hatched by a Mormon from Utah! Who would believe such a thing?

Actually, the original scam was hatched in New York by a man from Vermont.

[steveegg]

Who needs to read the article? It's not reading comprehension that's important, it's making ignorant drive-by remarks.

Speaking of drive-by comments, how much thrust does it take to keep pigs airborne? (Good tagline)

[Nick Danger]

Sorry if my sarcasm was missed.

Yeah, those invisible <sarcasm> tags strike again.

[Musket]

Good article. Sums up the whole situation nicely - to date. Even a dummy/late comer like myself could understand it. Thanks.