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SCO Announces Product Line Updates
ArbiterOne writes "Techworld has the story: SCO has unveiled their upcoming product plans, including a new release of UnixWare and a version for point-of-sale devices. Oddly enough, the article states that 'SCO's continuing Unix intellectual property lawsuits against IBM, Novell and others is apparently putting customers off.' I wonder how that could have happened?"
The SCO Group has produced a new-product road map and an aggressive marketing plan to try and recharge its flagging core Unix business.
SCO actually produces a product?
Ruby on Rails Screencast
Does this mean they actually have developers? Or did they just up the product version number?
Rule #1: Don't sue your own customers!
I mean it's that simple
A new kind of lawsuit.
"We're looking at this long term, and we see value that we can provide to our customers now and in the future," said Marc Modersitzki, a SCO spokesman. "Not only do we have a road map, but we're delivering on the road map."
It's obvious SCO's "roadmap" is less product-oriented than legal. But you have to wonder, why they would invest any resources in an aggressive marketing plan when their PR quotient is so incredibly low--much like their recent financials.
They are not the "vibrant, leading UNIX vendor to regain market share lost to Windows"... that would be like the US sending troops to Vietnam to "regain Hanoi". War over. Done deal. Time to close shop, SCO.
Sigs cause cancer.
1. SCO announces new products.
2. Linus announces new kernel updates.
So that FedEx package with CD-ROMs from "anonymous insider" finally arrived at OSDL?
SCO Announces Broad Array of New Unix Products, Channel Support and Training Programs
/PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX/ -- The SCO Group, Inc. ("SCO") (Nasdaq: SCOX), the owner of the UNIX(R) operating system and a leading provider of UNIX-based solutions, today announced a broad array of new and enhanced UNIX products as well as new channel support and training programs. The upcoming product releases mark the largest across-the-board group of product enhancements from SCO in several years. New or enhanced UNIX products from SCO and their expected availability dates include:
LINDON, Utah, Jun 15, 2004
* UnixWare 7.1.4 (now shipping)
* Smallfoot embedded UNIX (now shipping)
* SCOoffice Server 4.1 (July 2004)
* Vintela Authentication from SCO Release 2.6 (August 2004)
* Legend -- the code name for the next release of OpenServer
(1st Quarter 2005)
* Reseller training and support programs
UnixWare 7.1.4 -- A major upgrade to the UnixWare product line, 7.1.4 includes many enhancements that continue to keep UnixWare as the most reliable, stable, scalable and affordable operating system in its class. UnixWare 7.1.4 adds support to enable UnixWare to run thousands of Java and Web Services applications.
SCOoffice Server 4.1 -- SCOoffice Server 4.1 is a reliable, full-featured Internet e-mail and collaboration solution for small and medium businesses. SCOoffice Server stops e-mail viruses, filters out junk e-mail, and secures e-mail access. Providing more than just e-mail services, SCOoffice Server also delivers a real-time collaboration solution for scheduling group meetings, sharing contact lists and folders, and managing group task lists. SCOoffice Server integrates with Microsoft(R) Outlook(R) and industry-standard e-mail readers and Web browsers.
Smallfoot -- SCO's formal entry into the embedded UNIX market, Smallfoot consists of a toolkit that is used to create the Smallfoot embedded UNIX operating system. The toolkit is a rapid development tool that allows organizations to create a small software footprint operating system (i.e., Smallfoot embedded UNIX) customized for a variety of applications including Point of Sale, gaming, hand-held and a variety of other devices.
Vintela Authentication from SCO Release 2.6 -- Vintela Authentication from SCO (VAS) is the company's offering for managing a single user identity across a heterogeneous UNIX and Windows(R) environment. VAS uses Kerberos encryption to protect sensitive user credentials, providing network and user security. Release 2.6 will include additional MMC snap-ins, cross-forest authentication, and much more.
Legend -- code-name for the next release of OpenServer -- due to ship in the 1st quarter of 2005. This development effort is the first step for SCO in supporting a single UNIX development path for both OpenServer and UnixWare. It enables us to continue to support the 32-bit Intel architecture while adding support for 64-bit advanced computing. The benefit to our customers is enhanced support for 1,000s of applications written for UNIX, Java, and the ability to connect them with Web Services. Legend continues our commitment to value, security and reliability.
"Customers value the proven reliability and security of SCO UnixWare and SCO OpenServer running on pervasive Intel and AMD hardware," said Jeff Hunsaker, Senior Vice President and General Manager, SCO's UNIX division. "Through today's announcements, SCO is demonstrating our long-term commitment to UNIX customers by providing significant upgrades to our flagship UNIX products. In addition, SCO is providing solutions that enhance our UNIX offerings with updates to SCOoffice Server and Vintela Authentication."
Along with new product offerings, SCO today announced several new programs for its strong UNIX reseller organization. These training and marketing programs will provide SCO resellers with the expertise and support to ensure thei
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Who actually uses SCO Unixware. I mean, usually any business that wants unix will go with Linux, and in some cases AIX, etc. But who actually uses SCO Unixware, besides SCO (oops, forgot that they were running Linux...)
Help Fight SPAM today!
Funny. When I went to read this article. The Add at the top of the page shows a shirless (maybe naked) guy setting behind a desk with the flashing caption Megahertz. I believe its an omen of what its like to work at SCO.
I interview earlier this year for a position with a large national autoparts chain, while talking about their systems they mentioned that a large amount of their legacy stuff was dialup to UnixWare servers. I asked them what their feelings were re: the longterm viability of SCO and what their contingency plans were if SCO were to fold. They basically said that they had been thinking of moving to Linux but had made no actual moves towards doing so and that they felt that even if SCO folded that someone else would buy the IP and continue the license. I responded that I doubted whoever bought the IP would continue to offer UnixWare but would rather buy it to be able to controll their own Unix product entirely and would drop UnixWare. They didn't seem too pleased with that assesment. Maybe that's why I didn't get the job but I would rather not have been hired on and then asked to clean up the mess in the future!
There are 4 boxes to use in the defense of liberty: soap, ballot, jury, ammo. Use in that order. Starting now.
it's called "PUMP" ... the "DUMP" coming soon to a stocks market near you.
Won't somebody please think of the Karma!
With all this fuss, it's easy to forget that SCO was orginally a software company.
Their warnings are right on the money, though. Who the hell is going to want to do business with them now? It's probably not far fetched to assume that there aren't many new SCO installations anywhere, and that the installed base is only grudgingly still doing business with them.
The perfect sig is a lot like silence, only louder
it just makes sense that point of sale devices use a p.o.s. operating system right ?
Missing footnote:
"Due to our current ongoing lawsuits (which, admittedly, we're not so sure was a good idea in the first place anymore) SCO can only offer a limited money back guarantee of 3 days from the intial purchase date at this time.
See you in hell,
--
Darl"
I mean, come on.. anyone
I am sure their product resellers are -pissed- and have already been working to find other distribution contracts from companies such as Novell or RH. Honestly, I think that this is a simple stunt to try and bubble their stock a bit because of the reality of 0 value on the litigation business to shareholders.
I can't imagine that anyone of real talent would want to work for SCO at this point on the engineering side.
From a UNIX teacher at my college "SCO's main product right now is litigation"
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Is it conceivable that SCO is coming up with new product lines in case the judge says they do not have an IP case since they do not have any product that can use the IP.
Reading the release, it doesn't look like these announcements are major in any way, just run of the mill upgrades or versions that possibly have very few (if any) takers.
Not sure companies would want to do (new)business with such litigious companies.
in the article is that SCO is interested in being an IP company and not a products company. That would be somewhat OK is they had clear rights to any IP, but only as a static company. No one will buy new products from a company that is focused on what they DID and not what they can DO. Would you buy a 'new' vehicle that was actually a remade 1978 Chevy Monza with the same 1970s technology?
To me, UnixWare is like a horrible car accident. I don't want to look because I know it's going to be bad, but the perverted side of me just can't resist. Anyway, here's an OSNews review of a recent release of UnixWare (just in case you have a kinky side).
UnixWare 7.1.3 Review
A musician without the RIAA, is like a fish without a bicycle.
Linux kernel 2.6.7 just came out so... :-)
Open Source software can not be made into a profitable business model.
IBM seems to be doing OK.
Anything worth doing is worth doing badly -- G.K. Chesterton
Having looked at their products, they are very impressive.
You need to look harder. They've stagnated for years now, this is like microsoft having been selling Windows 95 for the last 10 years, and only now coming out with a preview of Windows 98.
I'm glad they can impress you. Truly. And if you thought that was good, look out your window and see the dog with the fluffy tail... that's gotta make your YEAR.
I wonder if SCO is offering Service & Support in quarterly increments? I don't know if a company wants to pay for five years of Service & Support that might terminate by next year :)
I mod down so you can mod up. Your welcome.
That headline caused me to shoot coffee out of my nose, you insensitive clods!
Taken from the SCO Q2 Conference Call transcript on Groklaw, could these be Darl McBride's famous last words?
Mark my words, there will be a day that will come when you will all see many, many documents that will directly contradict IBM's current public posturing.
infested with jello like fishes no melotron wishes
This might just be troll feeding, but what the heck.
/. community has maligned this legitimate, above the boards company just for trying to get restitution for code that they really did buy.
/.) seems to think SCO has nothing.
The truth is that the
(1) I believe the jury is still out on their claims. I don't know what inside information you might have but nearly everyone covering this case (not just
(2) Above the boards? With all the dirty legal tricks, stalling, and blatantly obvious stock scams they have been pulling I don't know if "above the boards" accurately describes them.
So they don't want to give their hard earned IP away.
So was it hard earned or did they buy it? (or, like nearly every other pundit, IP lawyer, company, etc believes, do they not actually have a claim on what they are suing over)
Sorry, but stuff that IBM developed INDEPENDENTLY of SCO is not SCO's hard earned property, and it looks very obviously like the case is going to be decided that way.
Look at the companies that have tried to make profit off linix.
Yeah, IBM is really hurting. So is Cisco/Linksys. Not to mention all the companies who use Linux to solve a problem. So what if it is hard to sell, nobody owns it, nobody has to sell it. And I don't know where you get that Redhat is floundering, they seem to be doing just fine. Operating Systems are becoming a commodity. Where it is written that a company has to be selling Linux for it to be successful? It seemed to grow just fine on it's own without corporate backing. Granted corporate backing has helped it quite a bit lately, but it is not like it was in danger of dying without it.
The truth is that the /. community has maligned this legitimate, above the boards company just for trying to get restitution for code that they really did buy.
www.groklaw.net.
Since the commentary there will be no more to your liking than the commentary here; just read the court filings. SCO has done everything possible to obfuscate and delay the case as long as possible. A legitimate company with a legitimate grievance would have worked with the kernel team to mitigate their harm. As it is, they're trying make the kernel devs their unpaid slaves by leveling accusations without details. In this way, they can claim ownership of what they allegedly own as well as what is undisputably the original work of the kernel developers. NO ONE is obligated to pay SCO for that work.
Paying SCO $699 or whatever it is does not compensate the kernel devs...some of whom are employed by deep pocketed corps who will insist on their full GPL rights. Nope, SCO is going to have to publically identify with specificity what allegedly infringes so it can be removed from the kernel. It does not help that SCO also appears to be trying to appropriate the POSIX standards. The POSIX standards are NOT the property of SCO. SCO has no right to automatically expect tribute from anyone who implements them.
They will also have to do something about their bizarre theories of what is a derivative work before they will get any sympathy whatsoever.
Your "legitimate above board business" is trying to commit a much larger theft then the one they are accusing others of. Being a business does not give you the right to steal no matter how money you think it will make you.
When I clicked on the link pointing to the sco site mentioned in the post, the browser said
The server's certificate did not match its hostname. Accept?
www.sco.com
While I was thinking as to whether or not to accept it wondering about the $699 for my linux system, the browser continued loading the page without any problem even before I accepted it.
Is it some clever *coding* on SCO's part or a problem with Opera!?
Now!! Whom should I sue!?!
(OK!! I'm willing to spare the 699 bucks for the higher returns)
Baseless Accusations v1.01
Fear, Uncertainty, Doubt v9.421 (previously acquired from Microsoft)
Lack of Evidence v2.2
No sig.
"SCO Corporation of Lindon, Utah (formerly Caldera) has lately taken to an extortion campaign of demanding license fees from Linux users for code that they themselves knowingly distributed under the terms of the GNU GPL. They have also refused to accept the GPL, claiming that some preposterous theory of theirs makes it invalid (and even unconstitutional)! Meanwhile they have distributed GPL-licensed Nmap in (at least) their "Supplemental Open Source CD". In response to these blatant violations, and in accordance with section 4 of the GPL, we hereby terminate SCO's rights to redistribute any versions of Nmap in any of their products, including (without limitation) OpenLinux, Skunkware, OpenServer, and UNIXWare. We have also stopped supporting the OpenServer and UNIXWare platforms."
This guy is way out there
That's funny, but how about trying the other way? Like linking SCO to something informative.
Today's news of SCO's new product line up isn't even enough to help their stock.
Does anyone find the top five reasons to choose Unix over Linux as listed on the SCO page incredibly funny? Especially item number 5.
#1 SCO UNIX® is a Proven, Stable and Reliable Platform
#2 SCO UNIX® is backed by a single, experienced vendor
#3 SCO UNIX® has a Committed, Well-Defined Roadmap
#4 SCO UNIX® is Secure
#5 SCO UNIX® is Legally Unencumbered
7.1.4 now comes with 27% more lawsuit!
I think the problem that SCO will have for many years boils down to:
Do I want to risk doing business with them?
If SCO had just gone out after IBM for copyright infringement, fine - I don't think that the average manager would care.
The problem is that they turned around and sued former customers (not that they had a choice - to sue people they hadn't had relations with might have opened them up to fraud lawsuits. Then again, they could have chosen not to sue at all.)
As a recent article pointed out, people now thinking about going to SCO must be thinking "If I ever leave them, will they sue me after? Can I afford that?"
Current Unixware customers will probably stay on, since it's easier and cheaper to do that than not to. But I will find it surprising if they drum up more then a dribble of new business with their karma approaching sub-basement levels.
In reality, as most people here probably obverve, they've shot themselves in the foot. If they had stuck with IBM, then resolved that, then (assuming they win, which I find rather remote) tried to go after regular Linux users, they might have done very well. And if they lost, well, they'd still have Unixware to sell.
Now, people are going to look at them like a rabid dog with a broken leg. Even if you want to help it, you're worried about how much damage you'll recieve in the process.
Of course, that's just my opinion. I could be wrong.
52 Weeks, 52 Religions with John Hummel
For instance, if you bought a new or upgraded a system, they would use that purchase as evidence for a lawsuit should you ever choose to migrate to another *nix.
Likewise, if you bought into their protection scheme you would significantly increase your exposure to lawsuits from all sides. This is not only true because you explicitly agree that SCO is the sole arbitrator of what can and cannot be done with GNU/Linux software, but also because such an agreement may make the use of such software a violation of the GPL. It is really a recursive problem in which you are exposed to lawsuit no matter who wins.
So, I really can't see anyone doing any business with this company. Ever.
Of course firms routinely buy software from companies that spy on and attack customers, so this may be the new model of the new economy!
"She's a scientist and a lesbian. She's not going to let it slide." Orphan Black
I mean, honestly, who would buy anything from a Slimy Corporate Oriface?
By coincidence I wisited their homepage yesterday, just to see who actually resells SCO nowadays (the list is impessivly short).
(Im in the middle of moving a client away from a SCO solution)
In USA, there where no resellers listed, just corporate HQ, and 2 branchoffices.
In Germany and UK I belive it was 3, Sweden and Finland one, Africa one, middle-east one (Isreael)
I didnt check all of them, but those I did check was not actually involved in SCO anymore, when I called them theyy got slightly embarresed to be connected to SCO, and told me that they recomended me to convert to Solaris or RedHat, depending on workload (wich they offered to help me with). They blamed SCO that they where still listed, they had terminated all connections some 4 month and 8 month agp
You would be well advised to know that polygamy was abandoned by the Mormons when Utah was admitted to the U.S. as a state in 1895.
I don't have a problem with your views on the two senators from that state but the items listed about the Mormons are incorrect. I am sure there are a few small minorites who still wed multiple spouses, however it hasn't been church doctrine since 1895. That comparison you made would be like saying "(All) Catholic priests molest young boys.", which simply isn't true.
As for your comment on ``...a constitutional ammendment that is so religiously based...'' there are plenty of laws that are imposed by a religious majority on the public. The ``blue'' laws in the south for instance.
Nobody's asking them to give their code away, nobody wants it. They want SCO to stop claiming they own the independently-developed Linux code that IBM brought features to, the same as they brought JFS, NUMA, etc. to AIX from their other OS'.
SCO's business is floundering, and they've stooped to nuisance suits against a deep-pocketed IBM claiming they own AIX/Dynix, thinking they'd be bought out, but instead have drawn the attention of the Pinstripe Nazgul onto themselves. The end result is likely to be a smoking crater in Lindon where once stood SCO. And the rest of us will bring marshmallows.
this comes questionably close to the release of the 2.6.7 Linux Kernel.