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Of particular note, and probably a source of much consternation to SCO and their proponents, is that LiS itself doesn't implement streams either, just does protocol translation. So neither linux nor LiS contains infringing code.

From http://email.gcom.com/home/linux/lis/

What is LiS

LiS is a software package that comprises an implementation of SVR4 compatible STREAMS for Linux.

Of course LiS does protocol translation - that's what STREAMS is, a framework for doing protocol translation.

As to whether LiS is infringing I couldn't say - I've never seen the SVR4 code to STREAMS.

Airlines do not need fat pipes. Most of the data needed for an airline operation is terminal text transmitted to and from the companies reservation system. This was typically handled over dedicated lines and modems but recently they are switching over to TCP/IP or at least wrapping it in TCP/IP. I can only speak for the airline I worked at but a small/med size airline presence only had a 128 and a 56 line. Large and mid sized airline hubs required only 2 T1's (mostly redundancy, not for load balancing). Different airlines do not share a common medium or use an "airport" provided medium for data, they provision their own circuits to their own data centers. I assume this would be equivelent to two banks in the same building, they are not going to share lines or resources either.

Along the same line, this link produces the following (with junk removed/changed so Slashdot would accept it):

[...]
Header: remcom.c,v 1.34 91/03/09 12:29:49 glenne Exp $
+ *
Module name: remcom.c $
Revision: 1.34 $
Date: 91/03/09 12:29:49 $
Contributor: Lake Stevens Instrument Division$
+ *
Description: low level support for gdb debugger. $
+ *
Considerations: only works on target hardware $
+ *
Written by: Glenn Engel $
Updated by: Amit Kale
ModuleState: Experimental $
+ *
NOTES: See Below $
+ *
Modified for 386 by Jim Kingdon, Cygnus Support.
Origianl kgdb, compatibility with 2.1.xx kernel by David Grothe (dave@gcom.com)
Integrated into 2.2.5 kernel by Tigran Aivazian (tigran@sco.com)
thread support,
support for multiple processors,
support for ia-32(x86) hardware debugging,
Console support,
handling nmi watchdog
[...]

Grothe's previous experience with IBM is shown here.

There are probably a zillion coincidences like these; it is/was a small world at that time. With careful cutting of a select set of quotation marks, you can prove a lot.

Want to do it for free? Here you go. (Note: site seems to be down, no idea why, but I've been there before and the Internet Wayback Machine has copies of the old pages.)
GCom and TPS Systems both have products that might do what you need on Linux.
There's also the IBM Communications Server but I don't think it's what you're looking for.

First, IANAL.

Second, take a look at http://www.gcom.com/home/support/whitepapers/linux -gnu-license.html which contains a post from Linus where he explains that the Kernel Module Interface is actually LGPL.

Next, see http://www.gnu.org/licenses/lgpl.html Read section 5. In particular, the paragraph :

"If such an object file uses only numerical parameters, data structure layouts and accessors, and small macros and small inline functions (ten lines or less in length), then the use of the object file is unrestricted, regardless of whether it is legally a derivative work. (Executables containing this object code plus portions of the Library will still fall under Section 6.)"

This leads one to believe that Binary-Only Device Drivers are A-OK.

Nvida and other graphics board developers aren't the only ones providing binary only drivers.... Adaptec only provides binaries for their RAID controller drivers - no sources at all. Not even
an "intermediate buffer layer"

The spirit of the LGPL licence seems to be "If you can upgrade the LGPL code without having to recompile the Proprietary stuff, and continue to have everything work, that's ok."

GCOM's whitepaper captures part of this response.

Is available at http://www.gcom.com/home/linux/lis/index.html

Linux has had streams for several years now, but it's an add-on because Linus doesn't want to clutter up the kernel. Of course, Linux streams works exceptionally well. If you are insterested you must view the Linux Streams Home Page