Posted by
ryuzaki0
on from the please-be-polite dept.
AndyFewt writes "TheRegister has an article on the latest form of SCO FUD, their Roadshow. Funded by HP and kicking off on Oct. 7, SCO users throughout the U.S. and Canada can get their chance to go show Darl just how much they "love" SCO. But of course, Linux users are free to attend."
What Does Darl Get Out Of It?
by
waitigetit
·
· Score: 5, Insightful
I posted this in a previous SCO thread, but I'm reposting it here, because it's the best answer I can think of to explain SCO's "business model"
What Does Darl Get Out Of It?
Darl gets a big fat payoff if he can deliver four straight profitable quarters. Most of it is in stock, which means he'll have to keep up the fiasco for extra quarter or two to cash out.
At that point, I think we can expect him to leave SCO -- if there is any SCO left to leave. Maybe the final legal showdown will be Darl v. Ralph, to be filed in late 2004 or early 2005. We all know how much Darl loves to sue his employers.
Anyway, this means the SCO v. IBM case is not likely to ever make it to court because there's *no* motivation for Darl to go that far.
In the meantime, he'll do whatever it takes to show profit on the next two or three 10-Q's. He'll slash personnel, support, anything, doesn't matter how it affects SCO's long term prospects, as long as he shows profits each quarter.
He'll try to get people to pay for SCO IP in Linux licenses NOW, not after the case is resolved in court, because he doesn't care what happens that far down the line.
He needs the money on the books and in the 10-Q next quarter and the following quarter. He's got two profitable quarters in a row now, though he probably wouldn't have made it this quarter without cutting personnel and associated costs. Two more to go, and he's golden.
If he hasn't done it already, we can expect some *extremely* creative accounting over the next two quarters. Personally, I think that asset listed as "Goodwill" is just the start of SCO's attempts at creative accounting. Or maybe more money from MS. MS, according to the latest 10-Q (available at SEC), has apparently purchased those "expanded licensing options" that were mentioned in the April 30 10-Q.
Darl's biggest fear is that something will shut down SCO and/or it's FUD machine within the next two-three quarters. If he sounds irrational and afraid, well, that's because he is. He can't pull any more profits out of Germany. Australia, Austria, and Poland are lining up to gag him in their countries. Red Hat's trying to do the same in the U.S. Of course, none of this matters much as long as no court decisions are reached within the next 3 quarters. Which means delay, delay, and delay will be SCO's legal strategy going forward.
-- I could care less, but not without a lobotomy
Don't buy their story!
by
TopShelf
·
· Score: 5, Funny
Yeah, Linux users may attend free, but then on their way out Darl will try to charge them $699, claiming that somebody else gave away the admission...
Will they be teaming up with PBS?
by
k98sven
·
· Score: 5, Funny
I'd sure like to have a price estimate on my old copy of Sys V..
The REAL news
by
Anonymous Coward
·
· Score: 5, Interesting
At the end of the day who cares about SCO, really? The real news is HP. Are we going to let HP think that it's okay to back SCO. That's the REAL question.
Like the Antiques Roadshow?
by
Dancin_Santa
·
· Score: 5, Funny
If you bring your copy of Linux will they tell you what they think it's worth?
Just what we need
by
SuperBanana
·
· Score: 5, Insightful
But of course, Linux users are free to attend.
Great. World's first physical DDoS- if enough linux geeks show up, everyone else will want to leave, either because they'll be obnoxious, or look like something out of a cross between an RMS-lookalike-contest and a anti-globalism protest- and smell like one(take your pick on whether tear gas is a curse or a blessing with that crowd).
Here's an idea everyone- show up at these things impeccably dressed, clean cut, and be a perfect gentleman(or lady); wear only a small linux penguin pin like our lovely "patriots" in the US gov't are so fond of doing these days with the american flag pin. That will impress people far more than a freakshow, no matter how valid your ideas are. Rowdyness, immaturity, and messyness do not impress. They intimidate, scare, and irritate.
Show the world we're serious, because folks- the linux "community",unlike a real community, we have yet to stand up for ourselves, especially those whose work is being whole-heartedly claimed by someone else- writing opinion pieces, open letters, etc is not "standing up". Legal action is what we need, but showing up in person is a step; we need a face, and we need one better looking and more tactful than RMS.
Nah.... Re:Cream pie?
by
bazik
·
· Score: 5, Funny
I vote for sharpend AOL CD's.
--
-- One by one the penguins steal my sanity...
Funded by HP?
by
Anonymous Coward
·
· Score: 5, Interesting
All of the articles I read about Sun on Slashdot end up mentioning Sun "funding" SCO regardless of the fact they were coming up to date on a 10 year old license.
Now, HP is directly funding SCO and nobody has mentioned anything yet. I was under the impression HP was another major friend of Linux who helped in development (such as LVM) and pushed Linux servers.
If this is true, who is on Linux side in the SCO vs IBM battle? Right now, it seems only Red Hat, IBM and the community. 50% of IBM's revenue comes from Global Services. Linux is a perfect opportunity to continue to expand this revenue since they are the only major player with both brand appeal and the size to appeal to almost any customer. With HP directly funding SCO to help them market their products they don't seem like much of a friend.
It looks like the OSS community might need to re-evaluate who their true friends are.
How much Linux-friendly HP is ?
by
Anonymous Coward
·
· Score: 5, Insightful
Use of Microsoft products is still a 'political correct' inside HP (vide: dumping OpenMail for Exchange) - their attitude in this matter propably hasn't changed significantly for last few years. After seeing HP from 'inside' for some time (as a contract worker) I've noticed that their Linux support is limited to and only to sell more intel servers and protect their back in case of Microsoft' failure (ie. losing monopoly in OS market). The last thing they want is causing Microsoft angry. In other words, they won't bet on Linux unless they're forced to. And they'll do whatever they can to NOT let Linux gain a dominance in OS market, while being careful to not to lose their 'Linux friendly' PR image. It's definitely NOT the way, IBM has chosen. It's safe to treat them as (mostly) Microsoft shop.
Re:Sponsored by HP !?!?!??!?!?
by
MarcDuflot
·
· Score: 5, Informative
I just looked at Sco's site. It doesn't say anything about HP sponsoring. Perhaps this was a mistake of The Register.
I read the article at The Register yesterday and looked at the page at SCO. There was a logo about HP sponsoring.
It was removed since then.
A delicate question to US readers
by
greppling
·
· Score: 5, Interesting
I have a question to the few American slashdot readers, if there are any:
In a German article on SCO/Cannopy, I recently learned that Darl McBride is a "devout mormon". Now, I have never seen this mentioned anywhere in the many articles on SCO/McBride, even when they were specifically talking about McBride's personality.
Of course, his beliefs do in no way at all affect my factual views on his mission against Linux/GPL. But nevertheless, knowing he is a believing Mormon changes my understanding of him as a person, and possibly of his motivations. Maybe it should not, but it does change my reaction to many of his strongly worded statements.
Now I wonder why I never saw this mentioned in American articles. Is this because Americans don't think it matters? Is this because, while they know it might matter, they want to keep that out of the discussion? Is it an unwritten rule that religion is kept out of controversal discussions? Even when analyzing personalities? Or is it just not widely known that he is Mormon? Or is it, to the contrary, just implicitly assumed by US readers that a person such as McBride is probably strongly religious?
I am posting this despite knowing that it might be misunderstood as being negative on religious people, or religion in general. It is not meant that way. It is just that knowing whether someone is deeply religious or not is an important aspect in understanding his motivations.
I've been stockpiling torches and pitchforks just in case an angry mob was needed. Looks like I might get a chance to use them.
-- "I think so, Brain, but 'instant karma' always gets so lumpy." - Pinky "Decepticons FOREVER!!!" - Ravage
Re:Slashdot Press
by
Hugh+George+Asm
·
· Score: 5, Insightful
> Nothing scares these kinds of lawyers like an organised and informed public!
This is mearly posturing. The show itself is meaningless. Seats are limited to 50 people per show!! The point of the roadshow is to tell people who ARE NOT THERE what they missed, and to make SCO appear to be a big, vibrant operation that requires road shows. When they talk about it, they won't mention that it was a volkswagon bus with 1 stoned driver talking to 50 sleeping people. The'll make it sound like you missed the world if you weren't there.
It's all an illusion, smoke and mirrors, because they're banking on the fact that most people are ignorant, and have no clue what a farce their company has become. Future customers--but especially future investors who don't know SCO-- might be impressed by this circus act.
How To Futz With The Roadshow
by
FrankDrebin
·
· Score: 5, Funny
The roadshow starts in Toronto then moves to Boston. One quick phone call to US Customs from Toronto concerning a new extremist splinter group calling themselves Secret-Comdrades-of-Osama (SCO) ought to end the whole fuss immediately.
Slashdot Mirror
I posted this in a previous SCO thread, but I'm reposting it here, because it's the best answer I can think of to explain SCO's "business model"
What Does Darl Get Out Of It?
Darl gets a big fat payoff if he can deliver four straight profitable quarters. Most of it is in stock, which means he'll have to keep up the fiasco for extra quarter or two to cash out.
At that point, I think we can expect him to leave SCO -- if there is any SCO left to leave. Maybe the final legal showdown will be Darl v. Ralph, to be filed in late 2004 or early 2005. We all know how much Darl loves to sue his employers.
Anyway, this means the SCO v. IBM case is not likely to ever make it to court because there's *no* motivation for Darl to go that far.
In the meantime, he'll do whatever it takes to show profit on the next two or three 10-Q's. He'll slash personnel, support, anything, doesn't matter how it affects SCO's long term prospects, as long as he shows profits each quarter.
He'll try to get people to pay for SCO IP in Linux licenses NOW, not after the case is resolved in court, because he doesn't care what happens that far down the line.
He needs the money on the books and in the 10-Q next quarter and the following quarter. He's got two profitable quarters in a row now, though he probably wouldn't have made it this quarter without cutting personnel and associated costs. Two more to go, and he's golden.
If he hasn't done it already, we can expect some *extremely* creative accounting over the next two quarters. Personally, I think that asset listed as "Goodwill" is just the start of SCO's attempts at creative accounting. Or maybe more money from MS. MS, according to the latest 10-Q (available at SEC), has apparently purchased those "expanded licensing options" that were mentioned in the April 30 10-Q.
Darl's biggest fear is that something will shut down SCO and/or it's FUD machine within the next two-three quarters. If he sounds irrational and afraid, well, that's because he is. He can't pull any more profits out of Germany. Australia, Austria, and Poland are lining up to gag him in their countries. Red Hat's trying to do the same in the U.S. Of course, none of this matters much as long as no court decisions are reached within the next 3 quarters. Which means delay, delay, and delay will be SCO's legal strategy going forward.
I could care less, but not without a lobotomy
Yeah, Linux users may attend free, but then on their way out Darl will try to charge them $699, claiming that somebody else gave away the admission...
Stop by my site where I write about ERP systems & more
I'd sure like to have a price estimate on my old copy of Sys V..
At the end of the day who cares about SCO, really? The real news is HP. Are we going to let HP think that it's okay to back SCO. That's the REAL question.
If you bring your copy of Linux will they tell you what they think it's worth?
Great. World's first physical DDoS- if enough linux geeks show up, everyone else will want to leave, either because they'll be obnoxious, or look like something out of a cross between an RMS-lookalike-contest and a anti-globalism protest- and smell like one(take your pick on whether tear gas is a curse or a blessing with that crowd).
Here's an idea everyone- show up at these things impeccably dressed, clean cut, and be a perfect gentleman(or lady); wear only a small linux penguin pin like our lovely "patriots" in the US gov't are so fond of doing these days with the american flag pin. That will impress people far more than a freakshow, no matter how valid your ideas are. Rowdyness, immaturity, and messyness do not impress. They intimidate, scare, and irritate.
Show the world we're serious, because folks- the linux "community",unlike a real community, we have yet to stand up for ourselves, especially those whose work is being whole-heartedly claimed by someone else- writing opinion pieces, open letters, etc is not "standing up". Legal action is what we need, but showing up in person is a step; we need a face, and we need one better looking and more tactful than RMS.
Please help metamoderate.
I vote for sharpend AOL CD's.
--
One by one the penguins steal my sanity...
All of the articles I read about Sun on Slashdot end up mentioning Sun "funding" SCO regardless of the fact they were coming up to date on a 10 year old license.
Now, HP is directly funding SCO and nobody has mentioned anything yet. I was under the impression HP was another major friend of Linux who helped in development (such as LVM) and pushed Linux servers.
If this is true, who is on Linux side in the SCO vs IBM battle? Right now, it seems only Red Hat, IBM and the community. 50% of IBM's revenue comes from Global Services. Linux is a perfect opportunity to continue to expand this revenue since they are the only major player with both brand appeal and the size to appeal to almost any customer. With HP directly funding SCO to help them market their products they don't seem like much of a friend.
It looks like the OSS community might need to re-evaluate who their true friends are.
Use of Microsoft products is still a 'political correct' inside HP (vide: dumping OpenMail for Exchange) - their attitude in this matter propably hasn't changed significantly for last few years. After seeing HP from 'inside' for some time (as a contract worker) I've noticed that their Linux support is limited to and only to sell more intel servers and protect their back in case of Microsoft' failure (ie. losing monopoly in OS market). The last thing they want is causing Microsoft angry. In other words, they won't bet on Linux unless they're forced to. And they'll do whatever they can to NOT let Linux gain a dominance in OS market, while being careful to not to lose their 'Linux friendly' PR image. It's definitely NOT the way, IBM has chosen. It's safe to treat them as (mostly) Microsoft shop.
I read the article at The Register yesterday and looked at the page at SCO. There was a logo about HP sponsoring. It was removed since then.
In a German article on SCO/Cannopy, I recently learned that Darl McBride is a "devout mormon". Now, I have never seen this mentioned anywhere in the many articles on SCO/McBride, even when they were specifically talking about McBride's personality.
Of course, his beliefs do in no way at all affect my factual views on his mission against Linux/GPL. But nevertheless, knowing he is a believing Mormon changes my understanding of him as a person, and possibly of his motivations. Maybe it should not, but it does change my reaction to many of his strongly worded statements.
Now I wonder why I never saw this mentioned in American articles. Is this because Americans don't think it matters? Is this because, while they know it might matter, they want to keep that out of the discussion? Is it an unwritten rule that religion is kept out of controversal discussions? Even when analyzing personalities? Or is it just not widely known that he is Mormon? Or is it, to the contrary, just implicitly assumed by US readers that a person such as McBride is probably strongly religious?
I am posting this despite knowing that it might be misunderstood as being negative on religious people, or religion in general. It is not meant that way. It is just that knowing whether someone is deeply religious or not is an important aspect in understanding his motivations.
I've been stockpiling torches and pitchforks just in case an angry mob was needed. Looks like I might get a chance to use them.
"I think so, Brain, but 'instant karma' always gets so lumpy." - Pinky
"Decepticons FOREVER!!!" - Ravage
This is mearly posturing. The show itself is meaningless. Seats are limited to 50 people per show!! The point of the roadshow is to tell people who ARE NOT THERE what they missed, and to make SCO appear to be a big, vibrant operation that requires road shows. When they talk about it, they won't mention that it was a volkswagon bus with 1 stoned driver talking to 50 sleeping people. The'll make it sound like you missed the world if you weren't there.
It's all an illusion, smoke and mirrors, because they're banking on the fact that most people are ignorant, and have no clue what a farce their company has become. Future customers--but especially future investors who don't know SCO-- might be impressed by this circus act.
The roadshow starts in Toronto then moves to Boston. One quick phone call to US Customs from Toronto concerning a new extremist splinter group calling themselves Secret-Comdrades-of-Osama (SCO) ought to end the whole fuss immediately.
Anybody want a peanut?