CD Duplicator Refuses Linux Job, Citing MS Contract

Jonathon writes "Seems a Microsoft imposed restraint of trade agreement and concerns about the SCO suit have prevented a New Zealand company duplicating 500 CDs for our upcoming installfest. The installfest was mentioned on /. just days ago."

Comments

It's a private company

[panurge]

They can sell to whosoever they like. The situation would presumably be different if they had a monopoly (I say presumably because I don't know about New Zealand law) but that can't be said of CD duplication. It's essential that companies do have the right to refuse orders without giving reasons, because every order taken on involves some degree of commercial risk ranging from nonpayment to public liability. Were this not so, it would make for some interesting scams by dishonest buyers. The best protection for buyers is that salesmen as a breed want to be able to sell to anybody with money, and that provides a certain counterweighting to the caution of the legal and finance departments.

Re:It's a private company

[Anonymous Coward]

It's not a story because 'some company isn't duplicating Linux CDs,' mind you. It's a story because 'some company is allowing MS monopolistic tactics to compromise various business deals, including, but probably not limited to, the Linux OS.'

This is more or less what happens with monopolies. They tell people who do good business with them that they can't do business with their competitors.

Now, I'm not saying that this is right or wrong (monopolies have to do something to stay in business, since they're so big and normal practices stop working), but it's something worth discussing.

YRO

[node 3]

Since this is under YRO, I figured I'd ask: whose rights are being violated here? (I can't see any rights violations)

This seems more like a story about how evil Microsoft is. And evil they are, which is why I neither purchase nor support their software.

Re:Not so surprising

[BiggerIsBetter]

Well, I don't think it'll go down like that. I mean, sure, Software Images didn't get the contract for 500 CDs, but someone else (like Stebbing Recording Ltd?) did and they probably made a buck out of it. I think it is Bill that needs to watch his back, lest the a flock of hungry penguins eat all the herring while he's busy throwing FUD into the media.

Silly little companies like SI need to go out of business. It sounds like they're being MS-NZ's little bitch, and while that's good for the moment (if you like biting the pillow, that is), I don't expect they'll get any OSS business in the future. Is that a big thing? Yes, because that's the direction the market is moving and they've just blown themselves out of that game.

Now what...

[floydman]

every linux supporter is somehow being effected by this SCO/Linux issue. Even YOU as a system admin. or programmer are. I mean i am a linux programmer where i work, and devlopers form the other side(MS dev.) keep on asking, whats up with this SCO thing, so are you planning to go back to Visual c with a wide smile.. . PERIOD..out of subject..

what i wanted to say is, companies like IBM, SUN, Oracle, Redhat, Suse and others are losing money, credability, business, and are instead gaining lots of headache, questions, bla bla bla...

Why the fuck dont they just group, put an end to it. They already spent billions in investments on Linux, espically IBM and Oracle(who supported Linux clustering), if they care for their business and investments, they should act, and FAST, before this thing really grows and starts to actually draw back customers who had linux on their considered solution list, knowing that Linux opened new business grounds for them, and they cant deny it, they owe linux exactly s much as linux owed them...

Re:This could be a good thing...

[Dante_J]

Now you have ample ammo for suing SCO for libel, slander, defamation, etc...

The trouble is Who will do the suing?

IBM? Redhat? Knoppix??? certainly not Knoppix.

Lets face it, even though this is in NZ, it sets a very nasty precedent internationally.

And although IBM have been playing it cool, as they should, with the rabid SCO flinging mud everywhere the concerning thing is that some of that mud might stick.

Feature for feature, tech for tech and even on usability grounds Linux is beginning to really become a desktop option with mountains more flexibility than Windows - any flavour of windows.

MS have played very very dirty in the past, and it would not surprise me in the slightest if it's their intention to do so again, and this case is testing the waters. Anyone remember Stacker?

However this is a delicate time for Linux in the hearts and minds of the general uninformed masses.

For the criminally insane at SCO to get some of their allegations to stick is a significant blow in Linux Marketing in the short term.

It would help significantly if IBM made an big, loud, international, and official statement about the Damage SCO is doing to their market and reputation, and threaten serious legal action.

A response form IBM like this would strengthen, not damage the reputation of Linux and Open Source software.

Rusty, Tridge, Martin, have you fellows had smoco with some IBM lawyers recently?

The whole SCO issue could backfire...

[RoLi]

If you take a deep breath, take a step back and look at the facts:

• IBM only got into trouble because they messed with proprietary software (SCO's).
• Never was anybody successfully sued for using free software. So far nobody was even unsuccessfully sued, remember that SCO has so far only put out threats and not sued anyone. (And they won't.) In the commercial software world, suing and fining users is just normal business. Just look at how many companies are getting fined by the BSA every year.
• When SCO has lost their case (and they will), a lot of people will see that the OSS licenses are indeed the only "no sue" and "no hassles" licenses.

I think Microsoft made a big mistake with the whole SCO thing. The more people are aware of licenses and the more people understand the GPL, the worse Microsoft looks in comparison.

The SCO case does hurt Linux in the short term, that's for sure. But in the long term, it will be just a confirmation of what many already know: That users of GPLed software are much safer from legal problems than users of commercial software.

With the millions of shares Microsoft executives sell constantly, maybe they don't care about the long term...