Settling SCOres

Israel Pattison writes "The Inquirer is reporting that someone in Germany is claiming to have viewed the SCO-alleged infringing Linux source code without having to sign a NDA. The person gives details about the code that was presented, but the translation-by-software is difficult to follow." The story also includes a link to a human translation; maybe some Slashdot reader can do better. Also in the news is a story about a kernel developer getting uppity with SCO, as well he might.

Comments

I fail to understand

[Keri Immos]

I can also view Linux source code without signing an NDA. It's open source, after all.

Re:I fail to understand

[Anonymous Coward]

The NDA is to be told which parts they think are violating, retard.

SCO is so stupid

[the_2nd_coming]

lets sue a company that has 1.5 BILLION invested in Linux.....they will role over right away......

erm wait.....1.5 billion.....we are worth 200 million if we throw in the coffie pot...shit were dead.

Perhaps

[mgcsinc]

SCO just thought no slashdotters would be able to understand a German guy... but alas, they underestimated the power of the Babelfish

Yes, that's what we've been missing!

[Otter]

All these stories we've been getting about how some anonymous person told an unnamed source that he heard something about SCO and Linux code -- all good, but if only they had been Babelfished first! Clearly this story sets a new standard for daily SCO rumors.

Anyway, you've got to love a publication that tells you, "Here's a machine translation (containing lines like "In the concrete implementation there are not however so many differences that a proof of the same origin will become difficult, although reliably not possibly.") and, oh, there's also a human translation, too."

IN SOVIET RUSSIA

[Eric Destiny]

in soviet russia, SCO settles YOU!

Re:IN SOVIET RUSSIA

[Anonymous Coward]

More like SCOviet russia. After all, what better place for SCO to be than moSCOw?

Wow, already?

[Duncan3]

Slashdot, now with hourly SCO updates.

Re:Wow, already?

[Evil Pete]

Slashdot, now with hourly SCO updates

But it has to be that way 'cause that's how we now measure the lifetime of SCO.

Puns

[Anonymous Coward]

I would like to come out and speak in favor of the puns. They have been the best part of slashdot's coverage. Also, a running joke isn't funny if it doesn't reach the point of being stupid.

Maybe this should be a slashdot poll:

SCO wrapup story titles should be:

• Puns
• Ambiguous and forgettable
• Unsuccessful and forgettable attempts to sumamrize all 19 links in four words
• Serial numbers
• Randomly and uniquiely generated for SCO stories on each pageoad based on a markov chain algorithm
• All titled "cowboyneal"

- still terrified still anonymous

Re:Puns

[timeOday]

Ah, this should come in awfully handy.

Re:grep sco /usr/share/dict/words

[Anonymous Coward]

What, no kaleidoscope, disco, or scones?

You can see the code too !

[Rosco P. Coltrane]

someone in Germany is claiming to have viewed the SCO-alleged infringing Linux source code without having to sign a NDA

Give yourself a few days to read the whole kernel source code and have your ass sued by SCO for having read their source code without NDA.

translation

[Tablizer]

"It lacks farfegnugen"

O.J?

[DaBj]

Is it just me or is this starting to look like the nerd version of the O.J. trial?

(No lame glove references please.)

Re:O.J?

[bilbobuggins]

'If the code can compile you must go to trial'?

Re:O.J?

[BurritoWarrior]

(No lame glove references please.)

Fair enough.

"If our code's in it, you can't acquit".

"No SCO IP unless you pay the fee".

"Computers running stolen code will cost you another $50 per node".

Exactly.

[Anonymous Coward]

We should all deal with this in a rational, civilized, and above all capitalist manner.

Short sell SCO's stock instead.

Re:grep sco /usr/share/dict/words

[NoData]

The SCOpe of your SCOuring SCOffs at our punny diSCOurse, but don't diSCOunt the SCOrnful diSCOntent eSCOrting these SCOundrels' miSCOnduct. The puns are diSCOmforting, but they are verbal SCOwls that underSCOre the disSCOuragement felt as we diSCOver the latest SCOop regarding their miSCOnstruals of truth. Putting this SCOurge under the microSCOpe may SCOrch their miSCOnceptions before they can abSCOnd from this fiaSCO without settling the SCOre. Vile SCOrpions!

Re:SCO code =Bad chop job?

[Anonymous Coward]

What? Every developer I know worth their salt doesn't even write comments

I never WRITE comments as such, I extract previosuly used ones from Unixware and fit them into my code as best I can. I thought everyone did that...

SCO's real objection

[Mostly a lurker]

some of the jokes are the same on both sides

Our primary means of revenue is licensing of our source code. The jokes are the only significant value of this source. As events of the last few months have shown, ridicule and laughter are what makes our company great. By shamefully incorporating the jokes into an open source product, IBM has removed the only rational reason why anyone would pay to license our IP. Our copying of large sections of the Linux code into our own products is irrelevent to the discussion because we deliberately removed any good jokes in the process.

Why are Lindon, Utah's streets lined with trees?

[Chyeburashka]

So IBM's lawyers can march in the shade!

Sorry, couldn't resist.

Q: Who is Darl McBride's future roomy?
A: Samuel Waksal

Re:SCO code =Bad chop job?

[Rorschach1]

Yeah, what's the GPL got to say on comments? Are they afforded the same protection as functional code? I put a lot of thought into my comments, on the rare occasions I write any. I once commented a project for a client entirely in haiku. No one ever said anything. /*
Comments in haiku
Not for any good reason
I was simply bored
*/

Where on earth did they get. . .

[kfg]

a 199 million dollar coffeepot?

KFG

Re:Where on earth did they get. . .

[Anonymous Coward]

The U.S. Air Force?

Re:please

[csguy314]

Also, people are not computers. They will not remember lines and lines of code with any precision,

Hah! Speak for yourself. I've got the whole Linux scheduler memorized. I'm working on the character device drivers next. So there!...
sigh... I really need a girl.

Re:SCO code =Bad chop job?

[thynk]

AFAIK, every developer worth his salt dates everything.

Except for members of the opposit sex.

What ever happened to "Real programers don't comment code. If it was hard to write, it should be hard to read and even harder to fix."?

Re:Line numbers please?

[larry bagina]

... and why slashdot editors don't read slashdot.

Re:Where can I get the Unix System V source?

[Anonymous Coward]

Have you tried kazaa?

Re:Linus' stuff?

[rampant mac]

"2002-01-04 New ultra-scalable O(1) scheduler by Ingo Molnar"

Hello, my name is Ingo Molnar. You stole my sched.c source code. Prepare to die.

Damn I'm lame.

Re:SCO code =Bad chop job?

[JWSmythe]

I date every girl that'll say yes..

I stalk the rest.

I comment on all of it.. :)

15-Jun-2003 22:27 // Mary Jane was wild in bed tonight.

Re: Mine isn't.

[E_elven]

*sigh*

Re:my /usr/share/dict/words is bigger !

[NoData]

you must feel very manly. you clearly have the bigger dict.

Re:SCO fsck yourself.

[Tokerat]

Perhaps they'll be presenting more detailed evidence in court...or perhaps they're busy researching proper dates to fill their changelogs with?

The thing that gets me is the part about comments, including programmers' jokes, matching verbatim; yet the lines of code they where attached too where substantially different in most cases. Again, this could mean improper reverse-engeneering technique on the part of a Linux contributor (a simple open file and re-write the code as you go), but if this where true, wouldn't the comments be erased with the code you're attempting to emulate? Why would you leave the exact comments there? If you where re-writing the code, why would you type a line of code and then copy the comments from the old code but erase the code itself? The only possible answer is sabotage, and I wouldn't rule that out, either.

However, I'm thinking the popular /. theory is true: they'll be showing the courts things like

<DRAMATIZATION>

SCO lawyer: In this memory management function, a pointer must be incremented beyond the newly created memory block to the next availible free space. Observe our code:

*pointer = *pointer + length_of_new_block; // Set pointer to free space

...and now observe the Linux equivalent:

*next_free += block_len; // Set pointer to free space

...YOU SEE??!? Irrefutable evidence in our favor. The Linux kernel's code does the SAME EXACT THING, it was simply re-phrased to the computer by a clever little thieving Open Source programmer!

*Microsoft chuckles in the back of the courtroom audience*

Judge: Order! *pounds gavel*

SCOmbag lawyer: *ahem* Er... even the comments match. I rest my case.

</DRAMATIZATION>

Either way, I don't think SCO would have enough feet to shoot itself in if it was a centipede. Time will tell, but that might not be nessisary. ;-D
(PS: Pardon if my pointer arithmetic code isn't syntactically sound...it's been a long time since I've written any code D-: )

I apologize in advance for this one...

[gosand]

15-Jun-2003 22:27 // Mary Jane was wild in bed tonight.

16-Jun-2003 11:05 // Took Mary Jane to the vet for her annual check-up. I hope the doc can't tell.