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SCO Claims Linux Lifted ELF
fymidos writes "SCO has finally spoken. According to this linuxworld article, they claim that linux illegally uses the ELF binary format, the JFS filesystem, the init code and some more 'copyrighted Unix header and interfaces'. Finally SCO makes its move. The JFS part was expected of course, but according to the article, as far as the ELF format is concerned 'the Tool Interface Standard Committee (TISC) came up with a ELF 1.2 standard' and 'granted users a "non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license" to the stuff'. Oh, and of course 'both Novell and the old SCO - as well as Microsoft, IBM and Intel - were on the committee'."
Come on SCO - as part of my operating systems course in college we loaded ELF binaries (which we also had to create) and RAN them. They have got to be stretching a long way on that one - that is for sure. Not to mention many other OSs (such as the BSDs) can use ELF binaries..
What does that have to do with anything? So what, I can create and run an ELF binary too: "gcc hello.c -o hello"
The way I see it, this is what SCO is saying (linux zealots cover your ears and scream and ignore it):
- AT&T creates UNIX, and the precursor to ELF.
- AT&T sells all this crap to Novell
- Novell sells all this crap to SCO
- about the same time, the TISC puts out a free spec for ELF 1.2
Now, SCO is saying that the TISC didn't have the right to give away ELF 1.2, since it was simply an extension of previous works that they claim rights to.
Not so much simply that Linux is using ELF, but they further suggest that Linux' implementation is but a copy-paste job from their proprietary sources (as they claim with many other portions of the system).
Doesn't mean they're right, but it helps to understand what their argument is if you want to counter it.
Personally, I'd like to see SCO win. Linux is a horrible architecture for personal computing, with it's monolithic kernel and 20 minute bootup times.
I don't need no instructions to know how to rock!!!!
If you think that's bad, check out what the press says about the Bush Administration. Talk about taking the devil at his word!
He parses his words carefully
No, his speech writers parse his words carefully. Left to his own devices, Bush has enough difficulty getting a sentence out on the first try. I seriously doubt he has the extra bandwidth to consider what the words actually mean.
It goes from God, to Jerry, to me.