IBM Subpoenas Microsoft! Sun! Baystar and HP!

[oz]

This could become rather interesting. I'm particularly curious to see what Microsoft has to say regarding the SCO/IBM lawsuit:

Microsoft, Microsoft, Microsoft. Do tell IBM all about any agreements between Microsoft and SCO, and all communications or agreements relating to SCO or this litigation, including all communications between Microsoft and SCO since June 28, 2002, including Darl's communication in May of 2003 "with Steven Ballmer regarding SCO's rights to the UNIX operating system". Oh, and IBM would like to hear about "Microsoft's business strategy regarding Linux", and they'd like to chat about the Caldera antitrust litigation against Microsoft too. Me, too. Me, too. Now about those shredded documents... And finally, they'd like "all communications or agreements relating to SCO or this litigation, including all communications with Baystar, Royal Bank of Canada, and Everyone's Internet, Ltd."

Full Story: http://www.groklaw.net/article.php?s...60221220214214

Please... no bad-mouthing of Microsoft, or flaming of other members about this.

Thanks in advance!

ozar

[bigtomrodney]

I was really wondering when this would happen. Of all the flaming people do and hype around SCO vs Linux, everyone overlooks SCO/Caldera and Microsoft/SCO. It's as if there are no connections. Don't Microsoft still own most of SCO? Since the Xenix days?

Anyway it'd be great to see this pull the rug out from under SCO. As if they have any credibility left, I'd like this at least to bring things to a head.

[oz]

I was really wondering when this would happen. Of all the flaming people do and hype around SCO vs Linux, everyone overlooks SCO/Caldera and Microsoft/SCO. It's as if there are no connections. Don't Microsoft still own most of SCO? Since the Xenix days?

Anyway it'd be great to see this pull the rug out from under SCO. As if they have any credibility left, I'd like this at least to bring things to a head.

Agreed... this thing has gone on too long and it's time for it to come to an end. I got the feeling there for a while that SCO was going to lay claim to owning Linux.

I wonder how many actually went out and bought a license from them?

ozar

[cousinlucky]

I am totally unaware of what this lawsuit between these Titans is all about. What I am so frightfully presently aware of is the way Judges, nowadays, render decisions that end up screwing just about everybody.

[bigtomrodney]

Have you not seen the SCO vs Linux case? It's been knocking around a few years. SCO are claiming that Linux breaches their intellectual property rights because of an infringement on the System V Unix code being used in Linux. It gets more complicated, because there has been little or no evidence, IBM licensed the code legally, Novell are claiming that SCO no longer own any of the UNIX IP and the general consensus is that because Microsoft have owned part of SCO and worked closely with them for twenty years that this is an attempt by Micorsoft to discredit Linux.
Anyway that aside, SCO aren't the original SCO - they are actually an ex-linux vendor called Caldera. So this is pretty messy stuff that everyone wants to just see it finish and the muckballs to stop flying.

[Roxoff]

I am totally unaware of what this lawsuit between these Titans is all about. What I am so frightfully presently aware of is the way Judges, nowadays, render decisions that end up screwing just about everybody.

It seems that legal battles between such mammoth organisations is only ever about keeping the lawyers rich. That sort of thing just puts the price of software up... Oh, hang on a mo...

[Apollo]

So what does this mean for Linux users? Anything good? Anything bad?

[bigtomrodney]

Theoretically if SCO win we're all liable to be sued and/or pay for our use of linux. But even if they did win it would be almost impossible to execute this and most likely because of the availability of source code linux will never really go away. I'm still very eager to see this resolved, if for no other reason than to see SCO get their comeuppance.

[Roxoff]

So what does this mean for Linux users? Anything good? Anything bad?

I dunno, it depends on the final resolution I think. I doubt very much if anything would change. Even if SCO were to win the legal case and _force_ everyone using linux to pay a small royalty fee, there is an awful lot of code in Linux that isn't from their original UNIX core. They'd quite likely end up making outward payments to other contributors (people who own copyright on the bits of code they've contributed to Linux over the years and which is still in use). Imagine the MySQL, Apache or the Samba developers finding that SCO are using their copyright code to make money after the GNU GPL license has already been broken by SCO demanding money from users... I'm sure they'd want their slice, the administration of this would be a nightmare.

[carlosponti]

the sad thing is you should have seen the initial licensing costs they were outragous. over 1200 dollars for a license!