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This (slightly old) Linux Terminal Cost Analysis shows better ways to spend that money than licensing software from Microsoft. From article: "Every company deserves to be compensated for the work it does, but no company deserves to be handed money when a more competitive solution is available." Some might consider it abhorrent, but I think it's just a waste of resources. (Disclaimer: I wrote the analysis...)

The 46 page response is now available as a multipage TIFF and converted to a PDF file.

Highlights include "20. Although it completed an initial public offering, SCO has failed to establish a successful business around Linux. SCO's Linux business has never generated a profit. In fact, the company as a whole did not experience a profitable quarter until after it abandoned its Linux business and undertook its present scheme to extract windfall profits from UNIX technology that SCO played no part in developing."

Grocklaw has an overview of the IBM countersuit. And for added fun, the whole 46 page filing is available in multipage TIFF or pdf.

The patents are at:
http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PT O1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PALL&p=1&u=/netahtml/srchnum.htm &r=1&f=G&l=50&s1=4,814,746.WKU.&OS=PN/4,814,746&RS =PN/4,814,746
http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PT O1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PALL&p=1&u=/netahtml/srchnum.htm &r=1&f=G&l=50&s1=4,821,211.WKU.&OS=PN/4,821,211&RS =PN/4,821,211
http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PT O1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PALL&p=1&u=/netahtml/srchnum.htm &r=1&f=G&l=50&s1=4,953,209.WKU.&OS=PN/4,953,209&RS =PN/4,953,209
http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PT O1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PALL&p=1&u=/netahtml/srchnum.htm &r=1&f=G&l=50&s1=5,805,785.WKU.&OS=PN/5,805,785&RS =PN/5,805,785

After reading the actual countersuit filing, it looks like an even bigger, more comprehensive smackdown than even was speculated yesterday. IBM is fully ready to press SCO's GPL transgressions, talks at length about the failure of SCO's business, makes clear in several locactions the difference between Old SCO (Tarantella) and Caldera/New SCO, they even mention that some of SCO's claims have exceeded the statute of limitations. IBM has clearly been tracking SCO FUD and mentions specific quotes from SCO execs that are damaging. They also reiterate that IBM's UNIX license is perpetual and irrevokable, but they also say that even if that wern't the case SCO still can't revoke IBM's license because SCO has not followed the agreement on the procedure to revoke the license. SMACK, SMACK, SMACK!

Patent numbers that IBM claims SCO infringes are 4814746, 4821211, 4953209, and 5805785.

[Sorry, no mirrors - I get charged for my bandwidth you know!]

NOTE: There's something very wrong with Acrobat for Linux. It shows this PDF document as blobs of grey, unintelligible text! If you're using Linux, use kghostview or similar - ghostscript renders it fine. So much for the idea that open source clones are inferior.

Sure. The IBM Filing as a PDF file How's that?

I had a look at the slideshow in the link and was amused by this page where it has some word definitions, one of which is Ownship. Now I thought that this is what happens when crackerz take control of the simulator and take the driver on the wildest ride of their life.
Then I realised it probably should have read own ship. Much less interesting...

• Final Decree
• Memorandum Opinion
• Public Interest Order
• Opinion on the State Settlement
• State Settlement Order

• Final Decree
• Memorandum Opinion
• Public Interest Order
• Opinion on the State Settlement
• State Settlement Order

• Final Decree
• Memorandum Opinion
• Public Interest Order
• Opinion on the State Settlement
• State Settlement Order

• Final Decree
• Memorandum Opinion
• Public Interest Order
• Opinion on the State Settlement
• State Settlement Order

• Final Decree
• Memorandum Opinion
• Public Interest Order
• Opinion on the State Settlement
• State Settlement Order

One of the unintended side effects of the CBDTPA that has not been explored
is the negative impact on many ongoing high-tech DoD programs vital for national
defense.

In these days, especially, no politician will want to be perceived as obstructing
the "war on terrorism" to benefit Hollywood and Disney.

In general, one part of the argument you should develop is that CBDTPA will
increase complexity and costs of all programmable COTS hardware and associated
software. It should be an easy task to point out the benefit of using
low-cost COTS solutions to the national defense. This SEI
Monograph discusses various laws and regulations that encourage or mandate
use of COTS technology in DoD programs. Note that the term "COTS" refers
to open source as well as proprietary software, and is meant only to exclude
custom, one-off type software.

As far as the negative effect of the CBDTPA on open source software, and
the resulting impact on national defense, you need only do some research
on the wide use of open source solutions in ongoing DoD programs and operations
to prove your point. Here is a link to a presentation
(pdf) prepared by MITRE that discusses general use of open source software
by the military. A couple of specific programs I would point to: Linux
is a supported platform for the OneSAF testbed, and is
practice is the platform of choice for ModSAF. These
are especially important because much of the development for these packages
is centered in the Modeling and Simulation industry concentrated around the
Florida I-4 high-tech corridor (especially in Orlando).

Which brings me to a second argument that is likely to carry weight with
a politician: the CBDTPA is bad for business (especially local business).
Here I would emphasize the detrimental effect of the CBDTPA on
the efforts of the High Tech Corridor
Council. I would recommend that you contact CEOs of hardware and
software companies located throughout Florida, and suggest that you are willing
to lobby the senator on their behalf against the CBDTPA. It will take
a lot of weight to counter Disney, but you may get more support than you
imagine. One very pro-linux Florida software company that I am familar
with is I.D.E.A.L. Corp,
you should contact their CEO and start to network outwards from there.

A local Linux company, IDEAL Technologies, helped a local private school set up a Linux-based infrastructure, and provided training to the school. The company mentions it on the Community Involvement page of their web-site. The school also has a web-site running with contact info. It might be useful to contact them for more details.

A local Linux company, IDEAL Technologies, helped a local private school set up a Linux-based infrastructure, and provided training to the school. The company mentions it on the Community Involvement page of their web-site. The school also has a web-site running with contact info. It might be useful to contact them for more details.