First Analyst Impressed By SCO's 'Proof'

[Thomas Cameron]

On Sat, 2003-06-07 at 00:45, Alan Dayley wrote:

> I don't understand a key in all of this.
> 
> Basis:
> 1. Assume for a moment that SCO's claims are true and Unix code that 
> they own is in Linux.
> 2. Assume that I am CIO of a Fortune 1500 company using Linux in my IT 
> infrastructure.
> 
> Question:
> Can SCO simply give me an ultimatum, requiring me to pay them or forcing 
> me to stop using Linux?  They obviously wouldn't own all of Linux so 
> wouldn't they only be able to make me stop using the offending code?  
> After the offending code is written out, I could go on using Linux again.

The problem is, you've been using their code for x amount of time.  They
can sue you for whatever they feel like for using their code without
paying/authorization.  What they will collect is a whole other ballgame,
but lawsuits are expensive no matter what.

> That would be a worse case scenerio that I don't think will come to be.  
> However, I do worry that SCO can maintain a cloud over Linux and really 
> hurt people who have built their business on it.

Well, I have used this lawsuit to convince one of my customers that the
old SCO box they were thinking of upgrading should instead be replaced. 
With Linux.

> On the other hand, once the mess is resolved, SCO will either slink away 
> in defeat or crumble away once the code is removed, since they 
> completely angered most of their potential market.  Then, I would expect 
> Linux growth to explode because of the pent-up demand.

I hope you're right, but the truth is that Main Street, USA is not even
aware of this lawsuit.  I don't think it will significantly affect
demand for Linux one way or another.

Thomas