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IBM Points Out SCO's GPL Software Distribution

Posted by timothy on from the didja-read-the-license-first dept.

An anonymous reader writes "Cnet is reporting that IBM has launched a counterstrike against SCO Group's attack on Linux users, arguing that SCO's demands for Unix license payments are undermined by its earlier shipment of an open-source Linux product." JayJay.br points out a similar but more colorful article on The Register "in which SCO says that 'SCO-Caldera does not own the copyrights to JFS (Journaling File System), RCU (Read, Copy, and Update), NUMA (Non-uniform Memory Access) software, and other IBM-developed AIX code that IBM contributed to the Linux kernel.' Gee, now that I was almost buying their license ..."

26 of 482 comments (clear)

  1. What about Xenix? by BoomerSooner · · Score: 5, Funny

    I've decided I'm only using SCO Xenix to avoid all the licensing issues with Linux.

    Hell I even bought a Compaq Deskpro 386/25M. Who knew the bios could only be accessed by boot disks!!! Took me a good hour or two to figure that out. Thank god HP/Compaq still has these on their site.

    Xenix the choice of an old generation.

    1. Re:What about Xenix? by Quarters · · Score: 5, Funny
      My question is-- what took IBM so long to do this? Or are their lawyers that slow?

      Yeah, why aren't IBM's lawyers knee-jerk, arm-chair experts like everyone else? What the heck is IBM paying them for - to take their time, do their research, make sure they present facts not just heresay or inuendo, and generally make sure the issue is understood completely before they talk about it?

      IBM's just pissin' money away with those guys on board!

    2. Re:What about Xenix? by Guppy06 · · Score: 5, Funny

      "what took IBM so long to do this? Or are their lawyers that slow?"

      They get their kicks by watching their victims wiggle and squirm around a bit before finally squishing them.

    3. Re:What about Xenix? by gearheadsmp · · Score: 5, Funny

      Forget Xenix. I want to see someone put SCO Linux on an Xbox and make it load the SCO site. Only then will I have my fill of irony.

    4. Re:What about Xenix? by fidget42 · · Score: 5, Funny

      What the heck is IBM paying them for - to take their time, do their research, make sure they present facts not just heresay or inuendo, and generally make sure the issue is understood completely before they talk about it?

      Ya. That's what SCO's lawyers are for.

      --
      The dogcow says "Moof!"
    5. Re:What about Xenix? by Atzanteol · · Score: 4, Funny

      SCO: Blah blah blah sue blah blah blah IP

      IBM: What? Are you still here? Damnit, time to do something...

      --
      "Ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge"

      - Charles Darwin
    6. Re:What about Xenix? by Reziac · · Score: 2, Funny

      Man, I'm waitin' for it. It'll be just like getting to the Sunday funnies after a whole week of the dailies.

      SCO Antics, the funny pages for a GNU generation!

      --
      ~REZ~ #43301. Who'd fake being me anyway?
    7. Re:What about Xenix? by nexex · · Score: 3, Funny
      well, seeing as it is not scheduled go to trial until 2005 (according to eweek), they must be using that thing the moves the shuttles :)

      --
      Winter 2010: With Glowing Hearts
  2. Ahh... by deunan_k · · Score: 4, Funny

    And what do I say to this all?

    I say.. Finally.. IBM really took their time to get things done. Frankly, I am tired seeing SCO bashes Linux community and generally making life miserable..

    In your face SCO!

    --
    Will sys-admin for food
    1. Re:Ahh... by TedCheshireAcad · · Score: 5, Funny

      Wait for it.....wait for it.....

      owned.

      there it is!

    2. Re:Ahh... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

      Yes, this is the equivilant of the cute, little curly red-haired girl kicking the shit out of her white-trash step-dad for bad-mouthing her perpetually. Sure, it took a while, but when it finally happens, wow is it funny.

  3. Darl McBride also quoted as saying.. by questamor · · Score: 5, Funny

    McBride was also quoted as saying "he he fellas, come on, you knew we were joking all along don't you? right?"

    Darl was last seen in tattered pieces scattered around IBM.

    1. Re:Darl McBride also quoted as saying.. by capnjack41 · · Score: 4, Funny

      They were dragging his statue around the parking lot, and people were throwing their shoes at it.

  4. Simple by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    I registered my copy of Linux with SCO. It only costs $700, and I don't have to worry about getting sued or breaking the law.

    1. Re:Simple by Flower · · Score: 5, Funny
      So, what did you get in return for this $700?

      Hopefully he gets a year's supply of K-Y. Obviously, SCO isn't going to have the common courtesy to offer a reach-around.

      --
      I don't want knowledge. I want certainty. - Law, David Bowie
  5. oblig. sideshow bob... by eupheric · · Score: 1, Funny

    "die SCO, die" is actually German for "the SCO, the"

  6. ob profit by einer · · Score: 0, Funny

    Your plan was lacking a few key steps:

    1. - a few people sign the NDA and view the code in question
    2. - (nothing happens for a few days)
    3. - new code gets quietly released for functions A, F, H and Z in the kernel, gets exhaustively tested by several key Linux people and very quickly appears in the next kernel release
    4. - confident pronouncements from Linus, RedHat, SuSE etc. that they are absolutely sure the SCO case has no merit, that they believe (but can't confirm) the code in question is "old code no longer in use" and so on
    5. - ?
    6. - Profit!

  7. Re:Even better by perimorph · · Score: 5, Funny

    You didn't properly credit the article. Therefore, I'll be filling lawsuits against all Slashdot members who read the above post.

    Joking aside, thanks for the clarification. I'm slightly less completely lost now.

  8. So who's not drinking the Kool-Aid? by analog_line · · Score: 2, Funny

    Did SCO's counsel just miss the day everyone took a big swig at SCO, or has the company finally decided that this whole thing was getting out of hand (little late to the game, but hey, the stock is up)?

    Or have we been in the grip of one hellacious Reality Distortion Field, and none of this "We Really Own Linux, We Don't Care About Some No-Name Finnish Geek" crap ever actually happened? What else has occured since then that might not have happened? Could Bush have been impeached and I just missed it somehow?

  9. Re:Where's the meat? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    ARE YOU MAD?!

    We do not get good soap operas like this in the computing world that often. Enjoy it, there will not be another for a few years...

    and glorious gifs are free in america again :)

  10. oh crap..... by the_2nd_coming · · Score: 2, Funny

    now what do I do with my 500 seat licence for RH linux that I just bought from SCO!!!!

    --



    I am the Alpha and the Omega-3
  11. I ain't buying no stinking license by statichead · · Score: 3, Funny

    Being that I have never consented to any SCO license in the past, I see no reason to start now.

  12. Re:IBM is just repeating Slashdot by reddish · · Score: 2, Funny

    It's what Slashdot pundits have been saying all along

    Dammit! Now they're infringing on our IP! Why are we applauding this while we should be claiming a cool billion dollars in damages!?

  13. Hello, I represent Nike running shoes by multipartmixed · · Score: 2, Funny

    The way in which you are criss-crossing your laces and tying your shoes may infringe upon Intellectual Property rights owned by Nike Corporation. As of June 10th 2003, we have terminated Rebok's license to lace their shoes.

    Please send us $700 for protection so you don't have to worry about breaking the law and getting sued.

    --

    Do daemons dream of electric sleep()?
  14. It's like Star Wars! by Dalcius · · Score: 4, Funny

    It's just like Star Wars! This is the part where IBM hits the comm switch and says:

    "Fire at will, commander."

    --
    ~Dalcius
    Rome wasn't burnt in a day.
  15. Re:IBM is just repeating Slashdot by JamieF · · Score: 2, Funny

    Lottery ticket buyer: I have the winning number! Woo hoo!
    Lottery official: um, yeah, well actually we didn't mean to sell that to you, therefore it's not yours. Give it back.

    Monica: here's the dress with the DNA sample on it, that proves he's lying.
    Bill: I never authorized that DNA sample to be used for those purposes, therefore it's not yours. Give it back.

    Bob & Doug McKenzie: Hey, you hoser. There's a rat in my beer. I want a free case or I'll go to the media.
    Elsinore Brewery rep: we never intended to sell you that rat, therefore we still own the bottle. Give it back.

    Panhandler: Hey mister, thanks for that quarter you gave me! It turned out to be a rare one, worth ten thousand dollars!
    Rich dude: Hey, I didn't know that, therefore it's still mine. Give it back.

    SCO Linux customers: Hey, thanks for all that enterprise functionality that IBM and everybody else created and added to Linux for free that you then downloaded for free and then sold us under the GPL. It's great!
    SCO: What? We didn't know that the software we got for free and then sold you was any good! It's still ours, give it back!