Slashdot Mirror
Australian Linux User Group Fights Back Against SCO
ashitaka writes "The Sydney Morning Herald is reporting that an Open Source group has gone on the offensive in response to SCO's latest demands that Linux users must buy a Unixware license to avoid any possible future unpleasantries. 'Open Source Victoria today filed a complaint with the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, asking it to investigate SCO's activities in light of 'unsubstantiated claims and extortive legal threats for money' against possibly hundreds of thousands of Australians.' I especially like the last bit: 'One feels that this whole fiasco is the IT industry equivalent of a Nigerian scam or internet extortion ploy.' Oh yeah.."
Aussie Aussie Aussie!! OI OI OI!!
A dingo ate my license! And, at their LUG meetings, do they serve Bloomin' Onions? Because if so, I'm moving there and joining.
Then I'm all for it! I just collected my $23 million dollars from the Nigerian government last week! I mean, seriously, what is there not to believe about such an offer? Now I'm all in favor of SCO! Maybe they'll give me ANOTHER $23 million! So I can buy some overpriced movie tickets! Boo MPAA ! (+5 Anti-MPAA)
1 you owe us
2 why?
3 ?
4 Profit
These SCO guys are really onto something.
Karma: Bad due to google bombing - Robert Watkins woz 'ere.
MR. MCBRIDE. Lads, in the previous weeks, I have made vicious accusations and threats against you! Now, I demand that you pay me a large sum of money! If you do not, I shall make further outlandish threats!
AUSTRALIAN LADS. Sir, this is unacceptable! If you do not desist immediately, we shall take action of our own! So stop, sir, or we shall file a complaint immediately!
[[MR. MCBRIDE makes further outlandish threats.]]
[[AUSTRALIAN LADS file a complaint.]]
- Exeunt -
SCO posts numerous redundant articles about Slashdot.
paintball
More news from the SCO front: Recent revelations that SCO copyrights did not extend to the NUMA, SMP and RCU code in Linux has lead to a new copyright audit by SCO's legal team to investigate the copyright status of Synchronous Queue Utilization Auto Tracking code (SQUAT).
"It appears from our latest audit that we may not have aquired SQUAT when we purchased AT&T's System V code."
When asked how this would effect SCO's plan to license the Linux kernel, "We never really believed that SQUAT had been copied from the UnixWare source code into Linux, so the fact that we don't own SQUAT has little bearing on our plans to sell Linux kernel licensing"
You could be heading for a booting.
I love the smell of Karma in the morning
US : Lots of noise, only 3 sane voices so far. ESR, RMS, Linus. Okay, Bruce.
Germany: LinuxTAG kicks SCO, gets injunction.
Australia: Fightback - no FUD please, we're Aussies.
New Zealand: InstallFest proceeds smoothly despite arm twisting from big gorillas.
Poland: Injunction.
India : Please use OpenSource (President of India)
Japan : Consortium of Electronics firms pledge to adopt Linux. Bride's personal visit futile.
UK : Refer US, above.
France: Do the French use computers?
Please fill up for remaining countries....
-
If you keep throwing chairs, one day you'll break windows....
request for urgent business relationship
first, i must solicit your strictest confidence in this transaction. this is by virtue of its non disclosure agreement as being utterly confidential and 'top secret'. i am sure and have confidence of your ability and reliability to prosecute a transaction of this great magnitude involving a pending transaction requiring maxiimum confidence.
we are top official of the sco group executive panel who are interested in imporation of money into our bank account because of intellectual property which are presently trapped in linux. in order to commence this business we solicit your assistance to enable us transfer into our account your said licensing funds.
the source of this intellectual property is as follows; during the last decade here, the ibm officials set up linux and incorporated various technologies which are the property of sco. the present sco executive board set up an intellectual property panel and we have identified a lot of infringing lines of code which are presently floating in the linux kernel.
however, by virtue of our complete and total lack of any evidence or a legal leg to stand on, we cannot acquire this money through the courts. i have therefore, been delegated as a matter of trust by my colleagues of the panel to harass and threaten with lawsuits linux users from whose account we would transfer the sum of us$21,320,000.00(twenty one million, three hundred and twenty thousand u.s dollars) in unixware licensing fees. hence we are writing you this letter. we have agreed to share the money thus; 1. 0% for the licensee 2. 100% for us 3. and maybe we won't sue you later.
please,note that this transaction is 100% safe and we hope to commence the transfer latest seven (7) banking days from the date of the receipt of the following informatiom by tel/fax; 234-1-7740449, your company's signed, and stamped letterhead paper the above information will enable us write letters of claim and job description respectively. this way we will not sue you for using the linux operating system.
we are looking forward to doing this business with you and solicit your confidentiality in this transation. please acknowledge the receipt of this letter using the above tel/fax numbers. i will send you detailed information of this pending project when i have heard from you.
yours faithfully,
ceo daryl mcbride
note; please quote this reference number (ve/s/09/99) in all your responses.
Change of strategy-
SCO's Darl McBride states that Linux users in Australia and Germany are indemnified from potential litigation at this moment. McBride, in his trademark bold manner of speech, continues, "cuz they are all good folks, ya'know."
China: If you see SCO and SARS, kill SCO first.
-
If you keep throwing chairs, one day you'll break windows....
The first, "Your IP address is being broadcast to the entire world every time you use the Internet! Send us money!"
The second, "You are using Linux! Send us money!"
And apparently someone thinks my penis isn't long enough so I should pay them for that too.
SCO Seeks Lawsuit Against College of Optometry BY DANIEL BAUMGARTEN (MISINFORMATION, LTD.) MEMPHIS, TN 12:41 AM EDT - Caldera, otherwise known as SCO, has announced today that in addition to filing a lawsuit with IBM/Linux for violating its intellectual property rights, it will now be looking for monetary damages from the Southern College of Optometry for trademark infringement. "I really don't think (SCO) has a well-founded argument," commented William E. Cochran, O.D., president of the Southern College of Optometry, in an interview. "Just because we're both called SCO doesn't make it trademark infringement. I've spoken with my lawyers on this one." SCO, which is a registered trademark of the Lindon, Utah-based computer company, is also in the URL of the Southern College of Optometry's Web site (http://www.sco.edu/). SCO senior vice president Jeff Hunsaker stated in a brief press conference that "this Web address is a legitimate violation of SCO intellectual property rights. The misleading nature of the URL draws potential customers away from our Web site and instead encourages them to enroll in an optometry school." When asked how a school of optometry threatened SCO's business, Hunsaker replied, "We're just looking out in the best interest of our shareholders." Dr. Cochran issued a public announcment shortly thereafter encouraging SCO to challenge the California State Controller's Office (http://www.sco.ca.gov/) in a federal court of law on similar charges to those being pressed on the Southern College of Optometry. Mr. Hunsaker declined to comment in reply to Dr. Cochran's announcment.
"Screw slashdot." -- Linus Torvalds
whoops! Forgot BR tags.
SCO Seeks Lawsuit Against College of Optometry
BY DANIEL BAUMGARTEN (MISINFORMATION, LTD.)
MEMPHIS, TN 12:41 AM EDT - Caldera, otherwise known as SCO, has announced today that in addition to filing a lawsuit with IBM/Linux for violating its intellectual property rights, it will now be looking for monetary damages from the Southern College of Optometry for trademark infringement.
"I really don't think (SCO) has a well-founded argument," commented William E. Cochran, O.D., president of the Southern College of Optometry, in an interview. "Just because we're both called SCO doesn't make it trademark infringement. I've spoken with my lawyers on this one."
SCO, which is a registered trademark of the Lindon, Utah-based computer company, is also in the URL of the Southern College of Optometry's Web site (http://www.sco.edu/). SCO senior vice president Jeff Hunsaker stated in a brief press conference that "this Web address is a legitimate violation of SCO intellectual property rights. The misleading nature of the URL draws potential customers away from our Web site and instead encourages them to enroll in an optometry school."
When asked how a school of optometry threatened SCO's business, Hunsaker replied, "We're just looking out in the best interest of our shareholders."
Dr. Cochran issued a public announcment shortly thereafter encouraging SCO to challenge the California State Controller's Office (http://www.sco.ca.gov/) in a federal court of law on similar charges to those being pressed on the Southern College of Optometry.
Mr. Hunsaker declined to comment in reply to Dr. Cochran's announcment.
"Screw slashdot." -- Linus Torvalds
Vegimite? I'm think that last time I heard they were using it to poison the rats.
All-in-all... I figure if aussies can eat the stuff (concentrated yeast extract, black... not overtly tasty though I found it tolerable) then they are a force to be reckoned with. Just sit on the SCO execs and force-feed them some until they come around...
"Good god, they enjoy this stuff??? They're not human!!! we repent... we repent!!!"
We call a spade a fscking shovel mate.
Nerd: Derogatory term typically directed at anybody with a lower Slashdot ID than you.
FROM: Mr. Darl McBride
A close business friend has given me you electonique address for communication as I have PRESSING CIRCUMSTANCES that require your assistence.
You see, I Mr. Darl McBride Esq. have a sum of US $100,000,000,000,000.00 due to me but can not on my own acquire these outstanding funds. You see I am the PRIME MINSTER OF CALDERA IP and as you may know have been DRIVEN INTO EXILE by IBM and their TYRRANICAL LINUX CONSPIRATORS AGAINST OUR SOVERIEGN NATION. Our matter of greatest importance demands that WE SEEK YOUR HELP. In return for assisting me, I will provide you 30% of the US $100,000,000,000,000.00 (US $30,000,000,000,000.00), all you need to do is provide me with your bank account number, a fascimile of your SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER, VALID DRIVERS LICENSE OR ID and CONSENT TO OUR NDA and LICENSING AGREEMENT.
YOU SEE, YOU HAVE MUCH TO GAIN and I trust and pray that you will provide us the assistence we require in this time of need.
Bruce: Gentlemen, I'd like to introduce a chap from across the pond who's going to be joining us here at the 'Straylian LUG.
Bruces: G'day!
Darl McBride: Hello.
Bruce: Darl McBride, Bruce. Darl McBride, Bruce. Darl McBride, Bruce.
Bruce: Is your name not Bruce?
McBride: No, it's Darl.
Bruce: Mind if we call you Bruce to keep it clear?
Bruce: Gentlemen, I think we better start the LUG meeting. Before we start, though, I'd like to ask the padre for a prayer!
Bruce: Oh Stallman we beseech thee!
Bruces: Amen!
Bruce: Crack tube!
Bruce: Now I call upon Bruce to officially welcome Mr. McBride to the 'Straylian LUG.
Bruce: I'd like to welcome the slimy bastard to God's own OS, and remind him we don't like stuck-up sticky-beaks here.
Bruces: Hear, hear! Well spoken, Bruce!
Bruce: Bruce here is a kernel hacker, Bruce here is a system administrator, and Bruce here checks source code for copyright infringement. And is also in charge of the BitKeeper repository.
Bruce: What's New-Bruce going to do?
Bruce: New-Bruce will attempt to undermine the legality of the linux source code, mislead the public about the nature of SCO's copyrighted code, question the validity of the GPL, and possibly have a secret partnership with Microsoft to reduce the spread of linux in the server and desktop markets by using a smear campaign.
Bruce: But that's a load of bullsh%t!
Bruce: Awwww spit!
Bruce: Howls of derisive laughter, Bruce!
Bruces: Australia, Australia, Australia, Australia, we love ya! Amen!
Bruce: Another tube!
Bruce: Any questions?
Bruce: New-Bruce, Are you a monopolist?
Bruce: Are you a monopolist?
McBride: No!
Bruce: No. Right, I just want to remind you of the LUG member rules:
Rule 1: No monopolists!
Rule 2: No member of the LUG is to use SCO source code in the linux kernel... if there's anybody watching.
Rule 3: No monopolists!
Rule 4: Now this term, I don't want to see any member of the LUG not infringing on SCO's copyright.
Rule 5: No monopolists!
Rule 6: There is no!--- Rule 6!
Rule 7: No monopolists!
Right, that concludes the reading of the rules. Bruce!
Bruce: This here's the penguin, the emblem of our source. You can feed it nasty SCO code, if you don't get caught, of course. Amen!
Liiiiinuus Torvalds was nearly bald and made his own O-S, and linux it was called.
Billy Gates came to take it away, but his server couldn't cut it. Linux was here to stay!
Big Blue, Big Blue was supporting it too, and linux's growth seemed assured.
Then Darl McBride came along and tried to sucker punch linux in the gut.
There's nothing Stallman wouldn't call 'em when it came to G-P-L.
He figured all the naysayers could die and go to hell!
Buuuut linux wasn't taken and linux wasn't shaken. It wouldn't be that easy to kill(1)
The penguin's here to stay, and if McBride won't play he can take his silly lawsuit and go away.
Billy Gates, Billy Gates just stews and waits for the day when his junk is obsolete.
And come that day we'll all go play Doom 3 on our linux boxen. Sweeeeet!
Yes McBride can take his silly lawsuit and just go away.
'Cause the GPL will hold up and open source will save the day!
====
Sincerest apologies to Monty Python. And Australia, too. And linux... And the Australian LUG... And anyone mentioned in the above spoof. I'm truly sorry. Really. (And for the fact that the song meter isn't exactly correct... and that many of the facts mentioned are probably distorted. It's all just a joke, I promise!)
bytesmythe
Hypocrisy is the resin that holds the plywood of society together.
-- Scott Meyer
This is just a draft list ...
... still clinging onto that number one spot due to Microsoft's long term business plan of unrelenting skullduggery and greed
... coming out of nowhere rockets up the charts ... looks like Bill better watch out for his number one spot now appears to be tenuous
1. Bill Gates
2. Daryl McBride
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
1) Go to the store (online or realtime)
2) Buy your favorite distribution of Linux (or download the software if you can't afford it)
3) Install on favorite computer
4) Repeat as necessary
5) If SCO decides to make extortionate letter to you, you:
a) Fold the letter in half five times
b) Use it for a floor pad for your computer.
Really, a kind of no brainer: Ignore the cheating bastards, and continue to use Linux.
Dawn of the Dead
My German is a little rusty. Can someone help me with this. The german web server of the SCO group is definitly not an Irish bar??
Yes, there's new management, and I'm sure the engineers at SCO are good enough guys, but the company suing is what used to be Caldera.
The second, "You are using Linux! Send us money!"
How about: "We found your email address on a newsgroup and thought you might be interested in this Windows program". When I read something like that I wonder, did they loose their brain somewhere? It was a Linux newsgroup!
Do you care about the security of your wireless mouse?
They might intervene to kill it off...
Linux is a Weapon of Microsoft's Destruction.
I'll do it for cheesy poofs.
Most Australians are very patriotic, but are pragmatic about it.
:
... it is just a symbol. I'm not even sure if burning it is illegal or not ... I mean, in an emergency, if the barbie is going to go out, and your snags are going to get cold, anything that burns'll do. The only thing that is supposed to be cold at a barbie is the beer.
...)
Some examples
* Most Australians struggle to remember the first verse of the anthem, let alone know the other three verses, or even that three others exist (at least I think there are three others, of course I don't know the words to them).
* A significant number of Australian's probably think "Walzing Matilda" is the anthem, not "Advance Australia Fair".
* We're not sure if we have to stand up or not when the anthem is played. Thankfully, when it is important to stand, there is usually an announcement of "Please stand for the playing of the Australian anthem". Never seen anybody put their hand over their heart while hearing it though.
* Most Australian's wouldn't care if the flag is burnt or not
* One of our national heros - Ned Kelly, a bush ranger - was a criminal and murder !
What makes us different - we _know_ we aren't better than anybody else (well, excepting cricket maybe, running Olympic games, swimming occasionally
Maybe if we stuck all SCO/Microsoft/MPAA/RIAA/etc's lawyers in a Monty Python worthy blender, grinding them into a fine red (or black, as some might claim) paste, we'd have enough environmentally friendly biodegradable waste to restore a rainforest somewhere.
What make you think that that toxic sludge would be environmentally friendly?
**** For Immediate Release ****
Las Vegas, July 23, 2004
Mr Daryl McBride, form CEO of defunct SCO, announced today the opening of his wedding shoppe Mac Bride. "You can't miss it on the strip," McBride said, "Look for the two Golden Circles." "I own the IP, you know."
McBride wants all his friends, "We'll all easily fit in the chapel, a former MacDonald's location" he said, to come to his grand opening.
Daryl indicated an IPO would soon follow and he hoped to reap billions in license fees from those selling golden rings to brides and grooms. "It's my trademark and intellectual property now", he said.
McBride thinks his IPO will rocket further in value when investors learn he is threatening MacDonald's over their use of "golden half rings" as their trademark. "It's half mine," he said.
"Don't Follow Leaders." Bob Dylan
Half of the slashdot crowd would starve if it wasn't for mom's cooking! The joke's on you, SCO, you pathetic losers... Oh wait.
Having FreeBSD above Linux could cause flame wars, though. In order to avert any such problems, I'd suggest using something less emotional. Why not have vi as the highest karma entry and emacs as the lowest?
It is funny the Australian group mentioned that it was like a Nigerian net scam. I got this e-mail from SCO quite some time ago:
----- Original Message -----
From: Darl McBride
Sent: Saturday, May 31, 2003 12:05 PM
Subject: URGENT AND CONFIDENTIAL
ATTN: MANAGING DIRECTOR/C.E.O
LINDON, UTAH
REQUEST FOR URGENT BUSINESS RELATIONSHIP
First, I must solicit your strictest confidence in this transaction. This by virtue of its nature as being utterly confidential and 'top secret'. You have been recommended by an associate who assured me in confidence of your ability and reliability to prosecute a transaction of great magnitude involving a pending business transaction requiring maximum confidence.
We are top officials of SCO Group (formerly Caldera International -- Nasdaq: SCOX) who are interested in obtaining your services. We are presently in negotiations in a business deal we feel will be quite lucrative. Since we may leave the country quietly in the middle of the night, in order to commence this business transaction, we solicit your assistance to enable us to transfer a large sum of money into your account to hold until further arrangements can be made.
The source of this fund is as follows: We have leveraged IP that we originally thought belonged to our company in order to solicit a rather large monetary investment by the company Microsoft. We have in turn sued IBM for contractual violations and IP violations, as well as sending out thousands of threatening letters to various corporations and Linux vendors, in a move carefully designed to drive up our stock and put us in a position for our company to be purchased simultaneously. You see, this is a carefully executed plan modeled after what some might call, "a house of cards." We hope very much that we will collect from all parties involved, sell our stock before it tanks, and head for some fun in the sun, IF all goes as planned.
However, by virtue of our position as members of the SCO Group, we cannot acquire this money in our names.I have therefore, been delegated as a matter of trust by my colleagues of the panel to look for an overseas partner into whose account we would transfer the sum of US $21,500,000.00 (Twenty One Million, Five Hundred Thousand United States Dollars) Hence we are writing you this letter.
We have agreed to share the money thus:
1. 20% for the Account owner (you)
2. 70% for us (The officials)
3. 10% to be used in settling taxation and all local
and foreign expenses.
It is from the 70% that we wish to commence the importation business.
Please, note that this transaction is 100% safe and we hope to commence the transfer latest seven (7)banking days from the date of the receipt of the following information below
(a)company name and Beneficiary of account (b) Your Personal TeL. Number and Fax Number
(c) Bank account/Sort/ABA/Routing numbers were the funds will be transferred to
(d) Your Bankers Address, Telephone and Fax Number.
The above information will enable us write letters of claim and job description respectively. This way we will use your company's name to cover our paper trail. We are looking forward to doing this business with you and solicit your confidentiality in this transaction.Please acknowledge the receipt of this letter using the above tel/fax number. I will bring you into the complete picture of this pending project when I have heard from you.
Your faithfully,
Ron Paul
Laura Didio (of The Yankee Group): Darl, is it true that SCO has ended all business ties with Germany? McBride: Yes, and it's their loss. We're not gonna let them use Linux anymore.