View Full Version : linux to become a fee based OS
red hat has set up a a 'fighting fund' for anyone willing to fight SCO'S claims that it owns part of linux
SCO has been threatning small and large users for using linux it says the code used in linux is under there ownership it bought the software company novell house and says it has been illegally recycled in to linux
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/3124679.stm
unsubstantiated claims ?
:shrug:
Lord Nikon
07-08-2003, 20:39
Without seeing the source code from SCO and RH its hard to tell.
However I think it would be virtually impossible to sue all linux users / producers.
Linux is more widely used than people assume, some PDAs are linux based, Mac OS X is linux based, some DVD players use uCLinux (linux for microcontrollers) etc.
SCO are already being hit in the wallet lol
true but if there allegations SCO'S are founded to be the truth and the company they aquired owns the code which was 'recycled' and never sold it etc they have a case
Originally posted by Lord Nikon
Linux is more widely used than people assume, some PDAs are linux based, Mac OS X is linux based, some DVD players use uCLinux (linux for microcontrollers) etc.
Sorry to nitpick. MacOSX is based on FreeBSD..
You are right though. A lot of embedded controllers use Linux of some description.
We'll have AT&T suing linux users for look and feel cases soon..
downquark1
07-08-2003, 22:59
Errm I thought it was opensource
hawkmoon
07-08-2003, 23:11
Originally posted by kronas
red hat has set up a a 'fighting fund' for anyone willing to fight SCO'S claims that it owns part of linux
SCO has been threatning small and large users for using linux it says the code used in linux is under there ownership it bought the software company novell house and says it has been illegally recycled in to linux
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/3124679.stm
unsubstantiated claims ?
:shrug:
Personally I don't really think SCO have much of a claim. They still haven't actually provided any evidence to back up their claim.
Novell also jumped on them pointing out that SCO doesn't actually own the IP rights to System V Unix (think that is the correct one) as Novell didn't sell the intelectual property rights
Many of the claims SCO have made don't stand up neither, many of the things they claim wasn't in their version of Unix
A former SCO developer has also said that it would be very difficuly to retrofit Unix code into Linux as the kernal internals are so different. He suggested it would be better looking for Linux code in Unixware - specifically the code for the support of a well known Linux file system in a Unixware addon.
It also seems that an SCO insider has said that Linux code was copied wholesale into System V so that it could run Linux applications. One kernal developer has already threatened SCO with legal action on the grounds of infringing the GPL
philip.j.fry
07-08-2003, 23:44
Originally posted by downquark1
Errm I thought it was opensource
It still is, what SCO are alleging is that IBM, which had a license from SCO to use and develop UNIX system code, has copied code wholesale from UNIX to the Linux kernel. If true, this means that there parts of the UNIX os are being distributed illegally.
Lord Nikon
08-08-2003, 00:00
Is anyone reminded of MS Vs Apple over the GUI? lol
This is an exceptionally confusing mess of a lawsuit because SCO cannot seem to make up their minds of what it is about. Contract issues with IBM, patent infringement, Copyright and so on and so on. But it basically boils down to the fact that SCO Group have been a failing company for years now, so the canopy group brings in McBride to create an exit strategy for the shareholders.
His strategy was to sue IBM so they would buy out SCO. It hasn't happened so they moved ahead with a campaign of FUD against the linux community as a whole, coming up with a campaign of extortion, while at the same time dumping his stock at inflated prices.
Now Big Blue have opened up their patents portfolio and taken a look at what SCO have been violating for years and have countersued. Given that IBM once battled with the US goverment to a standstill, I'm going to sit back and watch the slaughter :)
One of the best resources for this is the following WiKi:
http://sco.iwethey.org/
Regards,
Ben
Alan Waddington
08-08-2003, 08:42
There seems to be a lot of sueing going on recently. In recent memory there was the JPEG IP issue (which seems to have died down recently). RIM sues anyone who implements mobile email on a device as they have patents on the Blackberry. and so on & so on. Looks to be that a lot of failing dot-coms are looking in the patents locker, hoping to find an excuse to sponge off somebody else.
SCO Unix has been around a while & looks a bit tired. The competition from linux rather undermines their business, so they have to resort to lawyers. The code in dispute seems to be written by IBM, applies to multi-processor systems & is in kernel 2.4 & onwards. Surely in the worst case scenario, the offending code would get re-written by someone & we would move on.
SCO also have produced a linux-compatiblity module for SCO Unix. It is quite possible that this could contain linux code. However since the compatibility module is not open source, this would be difficult to prove.
Just to stir a bit more, SCO have entered into a cross-licensing deal with Microsoft.
Alan
duncant403
08-08-2003, 09:15
As reported on The Register, SCO are currently distributing a version of Linux - a version that contains the disupted code. They are distributing it under the GPL - as Linux must be - and so have therefore put this disputed code under the GPL. This code is therefore freely available for anyone to use, as long as their use is within the terms of the GPL.
It's quite simple. SCO do not have a case. It's just a question of whether the lawyers manage to convince them of that.
Duncan
Lord Nikon
08-08-2003, 14:17
I thought it more a case of how much money will SCO spend to FIND out the case is not valid lol
MadGamer
07-09-2003, 10:09
Well that is strange considering it is a full OS anywhay
Lord Nikon
07-09-2003, 14:47
Originally posted by WNA
Well that is strange considering it is a full OS anywhay
:confused: :confused: :shrug:
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