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SCO Wanted To Gag Torvalds, Moglen

An anonymous reader passes on word of court documents filed by IBM on Friday. The documents contain a copy of a letter, dated 2004, from SCO to IBM's lawyers stating that they tried to keep Linus Torvalds from making disparaging public statements about SCO, speculating erroneously that IBM was the principal funder of OSDL, where Torvalds worked at the time. Quoting: "The company also tried to silence Eben Moglen, the Columbia University professor who, until this month, was a director of the Free Software Foundation, and Eric Raymond, a controversial open-source advocate, saying they claimed to be IBM consultants."

168 comments

  1. Coincidence? by plover · · Score: 5, Funny
    So Darl wanted to silence Eric Raymond?

    Just goes to prove that nobody is 100% evil.

    --
    John
    1. Re:Coincidence? by davmoo · · Score: 4, Funny

      Trying to silence ESR? Isn't that like the proverbial unstopable rock hitting the unmoveable object? Silencing ESR would require the violation of at least 7 laws of physics :-)

      --
      I want a new quote. One that won't spill. One that don't cost too much. Or come in a pill.
    2. Re:Coincidence? by Mukunda_NZ · · Score: 1, Funny

      Haha indeed... But they hardly need worry about Eric Raymond... They could just let him talk, after a few minutes no-one want to hear anymore from him.

      I can just imagine ESR now... "SCO are the enemy of.... Islamofascist SCO! Screw you and the camel you rode in on SCO!.... Hey why isn't anyone listening to me?"

      --
      Free software, free thought, free society.
    3. Re:Coincidence? by mpe · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Trying to silence ESR? Isn't that like the proverbial unstopable rock hitting the unmoveable object? Silencing ESR would require the violation of at least 7 laws of physics :-)

      A pity SCO can't manage to gag themselves. That would keep just about everyone happy!

    4. Re:Coincidence? by tdvaughan · · Score: 1

      Oh dear God no. Seeing how he's responded to something as simple as a request for an interview I think his ego is going to respond to this news by imploding under its own mass.

    5. Re:Coincidence? by renegadesx · · Score: 0

      He runs Enegizers baby :P

      --
      Make SELinux enforcing again!
    6. Re:Coincidence? by gbobeck · · Score: 0

      A pity SCO can't manage to gag themselves. That would keep just about everyone happy!

      Hey, It couldn't hurt the price of the toilet paper posing as SCO's stock.
      --
      Navicula hydraulica plena anguilarum est. Omnes castelli tuus nostri sunt. Ed elli avea del cul fatto trombetta.
    7. Re:Coincidence? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Anything's worth a try if it'll shut him up. I quote:

      "I either founded or re-invented (depending on who you ask, and how some history is interpreted; I prefer 're-invented', myself) the open source movement." - From ESR's own page...the guy is an over-the-hill nerd with a bad combover, and yet he envisions himself as being some sort of hacker "god."

      I hope you're reading this, Raymond, because I'd like you to know that, to a great number of us, you are nowhere close to being a "public advocate for the hacker tribe." If anything you're just a washed-up blowhard.

    8. Re:Coincidence? by MysteriousPreacher · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Seems like a fair response given their total lack of research.

      --
      -- Using the preview button since 2005
    9. Re:Coincidence? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      What I love is that on slashdot, bash ESR and it is funny, but don't make fun of the equally (if not more nutty) RMS or you will be modded troll and/or flamebait into oblivion. Congratulations /. for proving once again that common sense doesn't work. Why don't we choose a real and sane OSS leader? I know Bruce Perens has a life (and I commend him, cause god knows RMS could use one), but I think he makes a better spokesperson than either RMS or ESR.

    10. Re:Coincidence? by It+doesn't+come+easy · · Score: 3, Funny

      On the contrary, SCO has been IBM's best witness...

      --
      The NSA: The only part of the US government that actually listens.
    11. Re:Coincidence? by tji · · Score: 1

      Yes, but it's also a large tactical error. If he was trying to discredit the other side's point of view, nothing could do that like Eric Raymond. He should have been encouraging Raymond to speak at length about his views on the subject. Enough lazy reporters would have quoted him and his batshit ideas to completely discredit the Linux world.

    12. Re:Coincidence? by maxume · · Score: 0, Troll

      Are you also a self important gun nut? It might be throwing off your perception of fair.

      --
      Nerd rage is the funniest rage.
    13. Re:Coincidence? by jonadab · · Score: 1

      > A pity SCO can't manage to gag themselves. That would keep just about everyone happy!

      Eh. SCO's rantings are so transparently inane that they are relatively easy to ignore.

      There are a number of people within the open-source community who spend so much time blathering loudly and publicly about stuff that doesn't actually matter, it would be nice if they would just shut up. I'm not going to name any names here, but if you spend more time talking and writing about licensing issues than you spend writing actual software, I'm probably talking about you.

      --
      Cut that out, or I will ship you to Norilsk in a box.
    14. Re:Coincidence? by Down_in_the_Park · · Score: 1

      Congratulations /. for proving once again that common sense doesn't work.

      You are here since yesterday? Nobody,but nobody expects common sense on slashdot, but we do enjoy it once we stumble upon it (see all those "insightful"comments?)

      Why don't we choose a real and sane OSS leader?

      Because we a just users/readers/subscribers of a website, nothing more, nothing less, you don't get a voting right by posting to slashdot...that would be too easy, right?
      --
      "People who are willing to sacrifice essential freedoms for security deserve neither freedom nor security."

      B F
    15. Re:Coincidence? by nomadic · · Score: 1

      He should have been encouraging Raymond to speak at length about his views on the subject.

      He is, kind of. Nothing gets ESR to talk more than pretending you care about what he's saying.

    16. Re:Coincidence? by Forge · · Score: 2, Funny

      It would however cause a drop in the price of regular toilet paper. Supply and demand.

      --
      --= Isn't it surprising how badly I spell ?
    17. Re:Coincidence? by Moofie · · Score: 1

      "There are a number of people within the open-source community who spend so much time blathering loudly and publicly about stuff that doesn't actually matter TO ME."

      Fixed that for you.

      --
      Why yes, I AM a rocket scientist!
    18. Re:Coincidence? by pohl · · Score: 1

      Seems to me like he answered arrogance with arrogance.

      --

      The "cue the foo posts in 3, 2, 1..." posts will commence with no subsequent foo posts in 3, 2, 1...

    19. Re:Coincidence? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Trying to silence anyone sounds illegal to me.

    20. Re:Coincidence? by heinousjay · · Score: 1

      You only see in arrogance in the Microsoft email because you want to. It's fairly respectful in tone, if a little mistargeted. ESR stepped way out of bounds in his reply, but considering his over-inflated sense of self-importance, it's not surprising at all.

      --
      Slashdot - where whining about luck is the new way to make the world you want.
    21. Re:Coincidence? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Seems like a fair response given their total lack of research.

      Agreed, if they had actually looked at the code he's written they would have instantly not wanted any part of him.

    22. Re:Coincidence? by MysteriousPreacher · · Score: 1

      The point is, Microsoft trying to hire him would be like the police trying to hire Charles Manson without being aware of his history. Whether Eric would be a decent engineer to have on their project is debatable but his very well publicised political views certainly make him a bad choice.

      Unfortunately I don't get to shoot very often since I'm in Europe but as soon as I can get over to the US, I will almost certainly become a gun nut. Not so sure about the self-importance. I know an ad hominem when I see one.

      --
      -- Using the preview button since 2005
    23. Re:Coincidence? by myowntrueself · · Score: 1

      Unfortunately I don't get to shoot very often since I'm in Europe but as soon as I can get over to the US, I will almost certainly become a gun nut. Not so sure about the self-importance. I know an ad hominem when I see one.

      For the sake of your future US neighbors and passers-by, I hope you know a *deer* when you see one...

      --
      In the free world the media isn't government run; the government is media run.
    24. Re:Coincidence? by maxume · · Score: 1

      A normal person would have responded along the lines of "Thanks, I'm not interested. If you look around, you will see that Microsoft is not really what I am about." and left it at that, not posted a rambling rant to his blog about how the person whose job is to see what sticks accidentally hit his dirt proof shield.

      --
      Nerd rage is the funniest rage.
    25. Re:Coincidence? by MysteriousPreacher · · Score: 1

      I expect that when you're asked to define a 'normal person', it will bear more than a passing resemblance to you. My definition of a normal person tends to be a bit like me. What you described isn't the normal reaction, it's how you'd respond.

      He despises Microsoft so he's going to yank their chain a bit. I hate my local cable company so when they kept sending me postage paid envelopes inviting me to join them, despite me asking them repeatedly to stop doing it, I'll post them whatever I happen to have lying around in my kitchen. Used tea bags, ham, bread - anything that's lying around. They stopped sending their envelopes.

      --
      -- Using the preview button since 2005
    26. Re:Coincidence? by pohl · · Score: 1
      You only see in arrogance in the Microsoft email because you want to.

      You're only saying that because you're biased. I see arrogance in their email because I know the historical context.

      --

      The "cue the foo posts in 3, 2, 1..." posts will commence with no subsequent foo posts in 3, 2, 1...

  2. The SCO drama continues... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Perhaps some bigwig company is trying to make sure SCO stays at center stage.

  3. As if by phalse+phace · · Score: 3, Interesting

    silencing them would make people hate/dislike SCO any less.

    1. Re:As if by networkBoy · · Score: 5, Funny

      Well, to be fair, if SCO could get ESR and RMS to sit quietly in a room together for any real length of time I would hate them a little less...

      --
      whois gawk date unzip strip find touch finger mount join nice man top fsck grep eject more yes exit umount sleep dump
    2. Re:As if by Gazzonyx · · Score: 1

      Well, to be fair, if SCO could get ESR and RMS to sit quietly in a room together for any real length of time I would hate them a little less... Although I don't particularly agree with ESR I do respect his work; that being said, I nearly fell out of my seat laughing when I read this!
      --

      If I mod you up, it doesn't necessarily mean I agree with what you've said, sorry.

    3. Re:As if by QuantumG · · Score: 1

      I don't understand.

      they're good friends

      Maybe you shouldn't pay so much attention to the show they put on for the geeks.

      --
      How we know is more important than what we know.
    4. Re:As if by DrSkwid · · Score: 2, Interesting

      What work's that then ?

      Some deprecated pop3 retriever and a book.

      --
      There are places where the networks are not touching,and there are places where they are-Boeing's Lori Gunter
    5. Re:As if by Aladrin · · Score: 1

      I think the problem is not getting them in the room together, but rather the 'quiet' portion of his statement. Both are known for talking and strong opinions.

      --
      "If you make people think they're thinking, they'll love you; But if you really make them think, they'll hate you." - DM
    6. Re:As if by Mr2cents · · Score: 1

      Well, to be fair, if SCO could get ESR and RMS to sit quietly in a room together for any real length of time I would hate them a little less... It should be easy to organize. I'm sure SCO is willing to host it in their cellars somewhere, after improving the locks. Steve Balmer can throw in a few chairs.
      --
      "It's too bad that stupidity isn't painful." - Anton LaVey
    7. Re:As if by squiggleslash · · Score: 1

      Erm, yeah... ;-)

      Honestly, I doubt RMS has that much affection for ESR given the degree to which he apparently feels betrayed by what the open source movement (which, as a project, was initially most associated and enthusiastically supported by, ESR) did. But I'd be happy to be proven wrong.

      --
      You are not alone. This is not normal. None of this is normal.
    8. Re:As if by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      ESR's contributions have been of the utmost importance! He wrote a lot of Emacs macros... a long time ago. And... hey, do you remember CML2? He did that too.

      OK, so he's just a third rate hacker who has propped up his ego by writing a bunch of rambling essays about hackers. Of course RMS wrote a lot of bad essays too, but at least he actually wrote some real software.

    9. Re:As if by Aliriza · · Score: 1

      It seems that another use them and throw them case but this time they came to hard rocks.

    10. Re:As if by Gazzonyx · · Score: 1
      Yeah - I think he has 3 books or so, though. That is to say, I appreciate his research on software.

      I'm reading this over and over and I don't think I'm making sense. I need coffee with my RockStar... I'll get back to it this afternoon when I'm awake and on the clock.

      --

      If I mod you up, it doesn't necessarily mean I agree with what you've said, sorry.

  4. Re:In case ol' boy doesn't show up by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Hey! That's MR toe smaking cack bogger to YOU, boy! We have our dignity to consider here.

  5. Eben gagged himself by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Insightful

    Eben gagged himself, in a way, by retiring from his work on the GPL3

    1. Re:Eben gagged himself by QuantumG · · Score: 2

      Oh my God, maybe they got to him!

      --
      How we know is more important than what we know.
    2. Re:Eben gagged himself by renegadesx · · Score: 0

      Seems due to the bitching surrounding the GPLv3, sounds like to me he liberated himself

      --
      Make SELinux enforcing again!
    3. Re:Eben gagged himself by Adhemar · · Score: 2, Informative

      Eben gagged himself, in a way, by retiring from his work on the GPL3

      Oh, come on. Eben Moglen's stepping down from the board of directors of the Free Software Foundation. That's nothing near "gagging himself". He's still a professor of law and history of law at Columbia University. He's still the Chairman of Software Freedom Law Center. He's still allowed, able, capable, and free to make as much comments on SCO as he wants.

      He specifically stated in his blog post announcing his stepping down from the FSF that he wants devote more time to writing, teaching, and the Software Freedom Law Center. He considers his years-long FSF work on the GPLv3 as "almost finished", anyway.

    4. Re:Eben gagged himself by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      So when is he going to start the Law Freedom Law Center?

      You know, any proprietary legal advice or advocacy is immoral.

      Why doesn't he eat his own?

      Oh, never mind, I just looked at the Columbia Law School list of donors.

  6. Alternate link to the same story by psaunders · · Score: 5, Informative

    Here.

    --
    Karma police, arrest this man. He talks in math. He buzzes like a fridge. He's like a detuned radio.
    1. Re:Alternate link to the same story by only_human · · Score: 2, Informative

      The parent link directly above is much better, although it contains the same text as TFA, much of it is anchored links to supporting information.

  7. No mention of PJ??? by rm69990 · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Why is there no mention of them trying to gag PJ and Groklaw, considering she has covered the SCO case more than the other 3 combined and then multiplied by 100?

    http://www.groklaw.net/article.php?story=200704281 9571717

    1. Re:No mention of PJ??? by only_human · · Score: 4, Informative
      It is mentioned in the linked article:

      SCO also sought to silence Groklaw, a website that follows cases involving open-source software.
    2. Re:No mention of PJ??? by rm69990 · · Score: 3, Funny

      Great, so the fraction of a percent of Slashdot readers who actually RTFA will know about it! :-P At least if it was in the summary the 3 or 4% of Slashdot readers who RTFS would know about it.

    3. Re:No mention of PJ??? by only_human · · Score: 1

      I'm sure that many of the readers follow the ongoing SCOundrelrama so it wouldn't go long without being mentioned; as it didn't

    4. Re:No mention of PJ??? by rm69990 · · Score: 1

      I was joking....hence the ridiculous percentages. You may relax and take your meds now :-)

    5. Re:No mention of PJ??? by only_human · · Score: 1

      Oh good :) Meanwhile I was idly wondering if SCO would be selling their precious IP elsewhere; perhaps reinfecting the Canopy Group again...ya never know, voodoo, zombies, night of the living dead stuff. Taking meds now.

    6. Re:No mention of PJ??? by lisaparratt · · Score: 1

      Because she's already had a story on her tribulations with SCO on /., at least twice?

    7. Re:No mention of PJ??? by bladesjester · · Score: 1

      The percentages seemed pretty accurate to me...

      --
      Everything I need to know I learned by killing smart people and eating their brains.
    8. Re:No mention of PJ??? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      SCO didn't also happen to mention it. It said Groklaw was of
      particular concern, beyond any of the others.

    9. Re:No mention of PJ??? by mrhartwig · · Score: 1

      ...hence the ridiculous percentages....

      You didn't have enough space to put in the appropriate number of zeros after the decimal, before you started with the non-zero number(s)?

    10. Re:No mention of PJ??? by rm69990 · · Score: 1

      Didn't want to wear out the 0 key on my keyboard :-P

  8. SCO wanted to gag Groklaw too by only_human · · Score: 5, Interesting
    1. Re:SCO wanted to gag Groklaw too by iminplaya · · Score: 1

      Wow! I coulda swore that happened last week. Does anybody remember when the first shot was fired? This has been going on for a while now, hasn't it?

      --
      What?
  9. Beating a Dead Horse by AchiIIe · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Not sure what to tag this, maybe "beatingadeadhorse". How many more stories of SCO being {evil|stupid|malicious} do we need. The company is almost dead now, let them die alright. It'll be a history lesson for future companies.

    --
    Nature journal lied in Britannica vs Wikipedia Ask to retrac
    1. Re:Beating a Dead Horse by ZombieRoboNinja · · Score: 1

      And surely the best way to make sure that other companies LEARN that lesson is to never talk about it publicly again because you find it boring!

    2. Re:Beating a Dead Horse by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      fwiw, I've seen the tag deadhorse before, but not beatingadeadhorse.

    3. Re:Beating a Dead Horse by 0x0000 · · Score: 4, Interesting

      The company is almost dead now, let them die alright.

      Many of us have thought SCO was dead before - they aren't just Evil, they're The Undead. Regardless of what their losses are, and how many times they are rebuffed by the courts, Microsoft could still dump another couple hundred thousand on them to keep them walking - that's pocket change for Microsoft, and they may well do it just on the outside chance that they will cost someone one or two more Linux jobs.

      For my part, I won't be satisfied until the story says that the papers dissolving the corporation have been filed. Fwiw.

      --
      "The Internet is made of cats."
    4. Re:Beating a Dead Horse by mpe · · Score: 4, Funny

      Many of us have thought SCO was dead before - they aren't just Evil, they're The Undead.

      Presumably there is a headline somewhere along the lines of "SCO attemps to silence Buffy Summers"...

    5. Re:Beating a Dead Horse by gbobeck · · Score: 5, Insightful

      How many more stories of SCO being {evil|stupid|malicious} do we need.

      You must be new here.

      Ok, more seriously... IMHO, the real reason why SCO stories are covered so often here on /. is because SCO decided to mess with Linux and the GPL, thus pissing off a very large set of communities (including, but by no means limited to the Linux community, Open Source Developers...). Now, since there is a large number of people who care about the SCO case, there is a demand for articles concerning the case as well as anything related to it. Therefore, SCO stuff gets on the front page.

      The company is almost dead now, let them die alright

      (As of May 1, 2007) They aren't dead yet. Although, the dead collector will be around on Thursday...
      --
      Navicula hydraulica plena anguilarum est. Omnes castelli tuus nostri sunt. Ed elli avea del cul fatto trombetta.
    6. Re:Beating a Dead Horse by Fordiman · · Score: 1

      It's worse. They're the Evil Dead. Someone call Bruce Campbell!

      --
      110100 1101000 1101000 1100110 0 1101111 1101000 1100011 1
    7. Re:Beating a Dead Horse by jimicus · · Score: 1

      Many of us have thought SCO was dead before - they aren't just Evil, they're The Undead.

      Does that make them some sort of vampire or zombie or something?

      Perhaps we should destroy Darl's brain then bury him at a crossroads with a stake through his heart. Maybe toss a bit of garlic in there as well.

    8. Re:Beating a Dead Horse by gbobeck · · Score: 2, Funny

      Someone call Bruce Campbell!


      I can only imagine how that will go...

      Ash: Ok you Primitive SCOheads, listen up! You see this? This... is my boomstick! The 12-gauge double-barreled Remington. S-Mart's top of the line. You can find this in the sporting goods department. That's right, this sweet baby was made in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Retails for about $109.95. It's got a walnut stock, cobalt blue steel, and a hair trigger. That's right. Shop smart. Shop S-Mart. You got that?
      --
      Navicula hydraulica plena anguilarum est. Omnes castelli tuus nostri sunt. Ed elli avea del cul fatto trombetta.
    9. Re:Beating a Dead Horse by ingie · · Score: 1

      For the Horde! ... oh, damnit, does that make Linus a member of The Alliance?

    10. Re:Beating a Dead Horse by digitig · · Score: 1

      For my part, I won't be satisfied until the story says that the papers dissolving the corporation have been filed. Fwiw.

      Even that wouldn't be enough, because their supposed IPR would be sold to the highest bidder and the whole thing could continue. Although with any luck their price would be so low by then that we could just pass the hat around on slashdot...
      --
      Quidnam Latine loqui modo coepi?
    11. Re:Beating a Dead Horse by jmv · · Score: 1

      The company is almost dead now, let them die alright. It'll be a history lesson for future companies.

      Actually, it's much more effective if we keep reminding people that they're dying. Sort of like the middle ages practice of leaving the body of executed convicts rot on a public place -- just to maximise the impact.

    12. Re:Beating a Dead Horse by dbIII · · Score: 1

      I think it's more of an Amityville Horror moment considering at least one of the unprincipled people involved.

    13. Re:Beating a Dead Horse by permaculture · · Score: 1
      AchiIIe said: "The company is almost dead now, let them die alright. It'll be a history lesson for future companies."

      Not if we cease discussing this object lesson. Forget your history and be doomed to repeat it.
      Let us continue to beat this dead horse, lest other horses decide to emulate it.

      --
      Environmentalism is the new Victorianism. Everyone ties on a green corset and pretends we're virtuous.
    14. Re:Beating a Dead Horse by DocHart · · Score: 1

      The only problem is that companies don't seem to ever learn. Read, in order, Predators Ball, When Genius Failed and The Smartest Guys in the Room. Actually start by reading Oedipus by Sophocles. The upper management of any company seems to get the idea that gravity doesn't affect them. What was particularly ironic about Enron was that the book When Genius Failed was required reading. Maybe they only read the CliffNotes (tm) version, or, just skimmed it looking for dirty bits.

    15. Re:Beating a Dead Horse by roystgnr · · Score: 1

      The company is almost dead now, let them die alright. It'll be a history lesson for future companies.

      Companies are legal fictions that cannot learn from history. Company decisions are amde by their managers. And unfortunately, the lesson we're teaching future managers is "If you make false accusations and wild threats in order to pump and dump your stock, you can make millions of dollars from an otherwise failed company but suffer no legal repercussions."

    16. Re:Beating a Dead Horse by MikeBabcock · · Score: 1

      To be fair to Slashdot's editors, very few of the events in SCO's existence have been covered here. I know its hard to believe for some, but there are a lot more ramblings going on than just the ones you read on Slashdot. Go give Groklaw a read to see just how many stupidities happen on a monthly basis with this company.

      IBM's no saint in the computer world, but this is just crazy -- please remember people, SCO hasn't even established ownership of the Copyrights they claim were broken in the first place. That's another case altogether (with Novell).

      --
      - Michael T. Babcock (Yes, I blog)
    17. Re:Beating a Dead Horse by Russ+Nelson · · Score: 1

      Yes, it would have been much cheaper for IBM to simply buy SCO. Turn their bastard hell stock into IBM shares which the SCO folks could sell off completely without trashing IBM's price. Cash out! IBM didn't want every bitch coming to them for salvation, though, so they're making an example of SCO.

      --
      Don't piss off The Angry Economist
    18. Re:Beating a Dead Horse by evil_Tak · · Score: 1

      Perhaps we should destroy Darl's brain ...

      Apparently somebody beat you to it.

    19. Re:Beating a Dead Horse by Lockejaw · · Score: 1

      For my part, I won't be satisfied until the story says that the papers dissolving the corporation have been filed.
      While Darl et al. get off scot free?
      --
      (IANAL)
    20. Re:Beating a Dead Horse by Thuktun · · Score: 1

      They aren't dead yet. Although, the dead collector will be around on Thursday... SCO: I'm getting better!
      IBM: You're not, you'll be stone dead in a moment.
      CART DRIVER: I can't take him like this. It's against regulations.
      SCO: I don't want to go on the cart.
      IBM: Don't be such a baby.
      CART DRIVER: I can't take him.
      SCO: I feel fine.
      IBM: Do us a favor.
      CART DRIVER: I can't.
      IBM: Well, can you hang around a couple of minutes? He won't be long.
      CART DRIVER: I've got to go round to the Robinson's, they've lost nine today.
      IBM: When's your next round?
      CART DRIVER: Thursday.
      SCO: I think I'll go for a walk.
      IBM: You're not fooling anyone, you know. Look, isn't there something you could do?
      SCO: ...I feel happy...I feel happy...

      *THWACK*

      IBM: Thanks very much.
      CART DRIVER: 's all right. See you on Thursday.
    21. Re:Beating a Dead Horse by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      you mean SCO & (evil&stupid&malicious)

    22. Re:Beating a Dead Horse by falconwolf · · Score: 1

      Not sure what to tag this, maybe "beatingadeadhorse". How many more stories of SCO being {evil|stupid|malicious} do we need. The company is almost dead now, let them die alright. It'll be a history lesson for future companies.

      That's why you want to keep beating it, so other companies don't get the same idea in their heads.

      Falcon
    23. Re:Beating a Dead Horse by bulliver · · Score: 1

      How many more stories of SCO being {evil|stupid|malicious} do we need

      All of them Billy, we need all of them...

      --
      Support the mob or mysteriously disappear.
  10. How do gag orders work and is it Constitutional? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Now, please forgive my ignorance, I don't know if it is unconstitutional and it probably isn't - but how does it fit in with the Constitution? I looked it up on Wiki but have found limited information.

  11. for a GNU dawn! for freedom! by elmartinos · · Score: 4, Funny

    What about Richard Stallman? According to this trustworthy news source he was attacked first.

    1. Re:for a GNU dawn! for freedom! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Awesome that he really got a sword, too...

      Apart from that, he sadly has a very whining voice.

  12. Wait.. by SQLz · · Score: 3, Funny

    SCO is accusing Linus of stealing all of their code, making crazy Iraqi information minister like comments to the press, and they tried to gag the people they are accusing from responding? SCO, please just crawl under a rock and die already.

    1. Re:Wait.. by timmarhy · · Score: 1

      thats the first thing that popped into my mind as well - how can anyone have the cheek to make acusations that implicate someone then expect any kind of right to prevent them from responding. it's fairly predictable that if you accused me of something like that i'd respond as well

      --
      If you mod me down, I will become more powerful than you can imagine....
    2. Re:Wait.. by goldstein · · Score: 5, Funny

      This is a serious insult. I'm sure that the former Iraqi Minister of Information will greatly resent being associated with SCO.

    3. Re:Wait.. by serialdogma · · Score: 1

      There is no Linux hackers within 5 miles of the city, there is minimum linux market share. There are as we speak, thousands of Novel, IBM and Linux troops committing suicide for fear of being killed by CEO's guardsmen.

    4. Re:Wait.. by renegadesx · · Score: 0

      Even Bin Ladin wouldn't want to be associated with SCO

      --
      Make SELinux enforcing again!
  13. Torvalds reaction by houghi · · Score: 1

    They must be smoking crack

    --
    Don't fight for your country, if your country does not fight for you.
  14. And Groklaw too!!! by a.sterbini · · Score: 1

    Please, update the title, its' missing the fact that they wanted to gag also Groklaw http://www.groklaw.net/article.php?story=200704281 9571717

    1. Re:And Groklaw too!!! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yeah, the two dedicated articles on that weren't enough. Actually, why stop there, why don't we convert slashdot into a fucking PJ shrine, so all you nerds have somewhere to worship her together collectively, jerking one another off in the name of the almighty PJ.

  15. Texas Law in Utah? by FFFish · · Score: 3, Funny

    Doesn't Texas Law ("Sir, he was too dumb to let live.") apply in Utah? It really shouldn't be so difficult to get rid of the SCO dipshits, ferchrissake.

    --

    --
    Don't like it? Respond with words, not karma.
    1. Re:Texas Law in Utah? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The bar of people being too dumb to let live must be pretty damn low!!

      How else can you explain the current inhabitants still being alive - let alone that bush survives trips home...

    2. Re:Texas Law in Utah? by tsalaroth · · Score: 1

      Actually, the law states:

      1) That anyone of sufficiently low intelligent is thereby too dumb to let live;
            a) excepting natives if Massachusetts
            b) excepting Vice Presidents

    3. Re:Texas Law in Utah? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Actually,

      Texas is now spelled 'TexUS', since they sent the 'as' to Washington - (this was true in LBJ days as well)

  16. Re:In case ol' boy doesn't show up by Fordiman · · Score: 1

    Heh. Ok, the license fee is, what, one share of SCO stock? I think I've got that rattling around in my pocket.

    --
    110100 1101000 1101000 1100110 0 1101111 1101000 1100011 1
  17. Gag away by niceone · · Score: 3, Funny

    Gagging is ancient history. It's people duct taping my typing fingers I worry about.

    1. Re:Gag away by badc0ffee · · Score: 1

      Duct taping fingers is the only way... when they file a gag order for slashdot dot dot?

      --
      1011 1010 1101 1100 0000 1111 1111 1110 1110
  18. IBM attack? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It seems SCO always wanted to target IBM since the beginning and not the Free Software movement.

    Still, a M$ funded initiative, for sure.

  19. Scombies, in your neighborhood. by DMNT · · Score: 1

    Many of us have thought SCO was dead before - they aren't just Evil, they're The Undead.

    So that's why they went after the big brains? Seems like DiDio was - afterall - a victim.
    --
    ?SYNTAX ERROR
  20. Re:In case ol' boy doesn't show up by gbobeck · · Score: 4, Funny

    Heh. Ok, the license fee is, what, one share of SCO stock?

    Hey, if you wait long enough you may get the entire company as an added bonus after purchasing one license.
    --
    Navicula hydraulica plena anguilarum est. Omnes castelli tuus nostri sunt. Ed elli avea del cul fatto trombetta.
  21. SCO wanted to gag Torvalds by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    After watching Pulp Fiction?

  22. In other news... by Snarkhunter · · Score: 2, Funny

    SCO thinks your mom is fat, ugly and stupid.
    Also, it just kicked your dog, got your teenage daughter pregnant, and dumped its leaves in your yard.

    1. Re:In other news... by Bearpaw · · Score: 2, Funny
      I don't have a dog, and if I had a daughter, SCO wouldn't be able to impregnate her without a turkey baster and a fresh sample from Sperms-R-Us.

      I mean, they can't get anything to stand up in court, what makes you think they can get anything to stand up anywhere else?

    2. Re:In other news... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      *raises hand* Oo, Oo, My Turn, my turn, please... I want to attempt humor at this.

      *clears throat*

      I read Slashdot, so I don't have sex, and therefore, no daughter. I also don't have a dog, but I do have a cat, as it is the closest to pussy I will ever get.

    3. Re:In other news... by rbanffy · · Score: 1

      if I had a daughter, SCO wouldn't be able to impregnate her without a turkey baster and a fresh sample from Sperms-R-Us.

      +1 disturbing

  23. Exactly - I'd pay $699 for that. by aurelian · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Just read this if you were in any doubt about what a fscking idiot the man is.

    1. Re:Exactly - I'd pay $699 for that. by jmkrtyuio · · Score: 0

      Counter-Example.

      Very nearly spot on. Props and Kudos to ESR on this one.

    2. Re:Exactly - I'd pay $699 for that. by Skjellifetti · · Score: 1

      I didn't really have an opinion one way or the other, so I followed the link. After reading his Anti-Idiotarian Manifesto, I came away impressed and in near 100% agreement with his ideas. Then I read his Armed and Dangerous weblog which is full of some of the stupidest rants I've ever read. End result is that I am sure that ESR knows he is a brilliant writer who should be taken out back and shot twice just to make sure he doesn't ever have to listen to himself again.

  24. Wrong IP Claims, All Along... by NetRanger · · Score: 2, Funny

    Apparently IBM employs half the world of Linux advocates and code writers, according to McBride. They're all out to get him.

    SCO should be suing for the IP rights to the tinfoil hat.

    --
    -- We live in a world where lemonade is artificial and soap has real lemon.
  25. Everyone is just copying from Groklaw by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Informative

    Groklaw "broke" the news April 28 http://www.groklaw.net/article.php?story=200704281 9571717

    Since then all these "anonymous sources" just cite from PJ, without properly giving credit. The second paragraph in the groklaw article reads:

          It also wanted Linus Torvalds, Eben Moglen, and Eric Raymond to be prevented from commenting publicly about the litigation.

    1. Re:Everyone is just copying from Groklaw by Aim+Here · · Score: 1

      The PACER system was the first place on the net to 'break' this news. Groklaw wasn't even second, in that at least one, and probably more, anti-SCO sites had the filing up on the net before Groklaw.

      And I think you're taking the demand for credit a bit too far, eh? It's not as if it's a verbatim quote, or a sizeable paraphrase, or strictly speaking, even a paraphrase at all of the Groklaw sentence. How many ways are there of saying 'SCO tried to make ESR, Eben and Linus STFU' in a neutral and unbiased journalistic tone? It's not even clear (although it is likely) that the ZDnet writers even read Groklaw, let alone pilfered enough of Groklaw's material to warrant a credit.

    2. Re:Everyone is just copying from Groklaw by Eggplant62 · · Score: 1

      The PACER system was the first place on the net to 'break' this news. Groklaw wasn't even second, in that at least one, and probably more, anti-SCO sites had the filing up on the net before Groklaw.


      Cite please. Name these anti-SCO sources of which you have so much confidence that they scooped Groklaw.

    3. Re:Everyone is just copying from Groklaw by Aim+Here · · Score: 1

      The site I'm thinking of was Zen's Den, which announced the documents at 10:30pm, ET on the 27th of April. Groklaw's article on the same documents were at 07:57 PM EDT on April 28th. There's at most a 1 hour difference between ET and EDT, so that's a considerable time difference. I actually thought the difference was much less meself, but there you go.

      Tuxrocks and Scofacts often beat Groklaw to the punch too. Groklaw isn't usually the first site to carry the SCO documents; it does, however, have the most comprehensive archive and usually the best analysis.

  26. Re:How do gag orders work and is it Constitutional by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

    It's a court order. Just as a judge can order you to appear before a court, a judge can order you not to say things relevant to a case if he or she thinks that you could be disruptive to the case. Violation of a gag order would be considered non-protected speech because gag orders are only used for things like ensuring that a trial is fair (so there has to be something important at stake) and they are only temporary when they are used.

    If a judge made an obviously bad gag order you would have a chance to defend yourself at your contempt hearing.

  27. McBride had second thoughts... by scharkalvin · · Score: 1

    He wasn't worried about Eric's mouth, his GUN was the problem.

  28. SCO stock delisting? by Secrity · · Score: 1

    I noticed that SCOX opened this morning at .94 and it has dropped to .86; about an 8% drop. SCO has until October 22 to get its stock price above $1 for 10 consecutive days or it will be delisted. Stock splits won't count.

    1. Re:SCO stock delisting? by KokorHekkus · · Score: 1
      Stock splits do count.

      Does NASDAQ accept reverse stock splits as a method to regain compliance with the minimum bid price requirement?
      Yes. NASDAQ views reverse stock splits as an acceptable method to regain compliance.
      Source:http://www.nasdaq.com/about/FAQsContinued.s tm
    2. Re:SCO stock delisting? by RobertLTux · · Score: 2, Informative

      its not that splits don't count its that the split/dump/resplit/redump cycle will most likely cause thier stock to break one of the other trigger values so even if they do a 10-1 reverse split if the stock then dumps 90% of value (currently trapped investors bailing out) SCOX will ram into the "market cap" triggerwall.

      of course then we have the problem that there are a few different PSJs that will cause massive damage to the cases if they go the not TSCOG way.

      --
      Any person using FTFY or editing my postings agrees to a US$50.00 charge
    3. Re:SCO stock delisting? by badc0ffee · · Score: 1

      The pump and dump spam filters are working just fine.

      --
      1011 1010 1101 1100 0000 1111 1111 1110 1110
    4. Re:SCO stock delisting? by jackspenn · · Score: 1

      You know what we should do? Buy $50,000 worth in say early October when it is at .14 and when it gets delisted shortly there after, we keep the $50,000 without owing anything man. Like think that would work?

      Money is like physics to me, it just doesn't make sense.

      For example last year I was trying to build this machine that would spin at the same speed forever without requiring any more energy, but I keep having problems where it would spin fast and fast.

      --
      Respect the Constitution
  29. Re:Beating a Dead queen by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    "Lets see what's on the radio..."

    "And now on BBC2, the death of SCO, Queen of Shitts."

    *crashes, bangs, assorted noise*

    "I think she's dead."

    "No I'm not!"

    *crashes, bangs, assorted noise*

    "Anow your radio will explode."

    *BANG*

    "Well, what's on the telly then?"

    "Looks like a penguin to me..."

  30. McBride never even had *first* thoughts... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    So there's no way McBride could be having "second thoughts". And his lawyers are slimier than a month-old banana left in a locked car in the Sahara desert.

    Tell me Boies wasn't the best lawyer Al Gore could get in Florida. Please.

  31. Hypocritical by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

    FTFA:
    "We are also concerned about the many litigation-related statements made by Eric Raymond, who claims to be a paid IBM consultant, and by Columbia law professor Eben Moglen, who also claims to be an IBM consultant. Mr Raymond and Professor Moglen have been highly critical of SCO's litigation claims. If paid by IBM it is only fair that they, along with Mr Torvalds, be included in the scope of any stipulation or order regarding litigation-related public statements," wrote McBride.

    Well, of course! There is absolutely no way that these people would have anything bad to say about SCO's case unless they were being paid to do it!

    Just as there is no way that SCO would be pursuing this case unless they were being paid to do it by Microsoft! C'mon; what's good for the goose is good for the gander. In the interest of full disclosure, 'fess up, SCO; tell us all about who's funding your actions!

  32. Obligatory by Zonk+(troll) · · Score: 1

    Eric S. Raymond's GUN/Linux.

    ("Everybody Loves Eric S. Raymond" always cracks me up)

    --
    "The Federal Reserve is a fraudulent system."--Lew Rockwell
    End The FED. -
  33. Almost right. by frogstar_robot · · Score: 1

    It kicked the daughter and impregnated the dog........

  34. "He Needed Killin'". by abb3w · · Score: 1

    Doesn't Texas Law ("Sir, he was too dumb to let live.") apply in Utah?

    I thought it was from one of the upper midwest states originally. The way I heard it, one of the State's senators shot and killed a man; he was brought up on charges, resigned, and conducted a pro se defense, arguing "He needed killin'." Successfully.

    I thought it was Minnesota, but I may be getting that mixed up with the cheerful anecdote about the First National Bank in Northfield, where Jesse James lost most of his gang to civilian gunfire. It was over a hundred years before anyone tried robbing the bank again — with similar lack of success; the customers promptly tackled and subdued the gunman.

    --
    //Information does not want to be free; it wants to breed.
  35. ESR work by Per+Abrahamsen · · Score: 1

    I won't cheat by looking it up, but I have seen a younger ESR as a contributor to both Emacs and nethack. He is no RMS (Emacs, gcc, and gdb), but his developer credibility is still way higher than all the ESR detractors on /. combined. (I know, damnation with faint praise).

    1. Re:ESR work by nomadic · · Score: 1

      I won't cheat by looking it up, but I have seen a younger ESR as a contributor to both Emacs and nethack. He is no RMS (Emacs, gcc, and gdb), but his developer credibility is still way higher than all the ESR detractors on /. combined. (I know, damnation with faint praise).

      He wrote a guide to nethack and a few emacs macros. He has almost no developer credibility. Oh, he took over popclient and put his name on it. And he took over the jargon file and put his name on it. He's very good at putting his name on things he didn't do, if that counts as "developing".

    2. Re:ESR work by Russ+Nelson · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Would you explain copy_instance() to me? I have a little bit of developer credibility, and *I* can't figure it out:
      http://www.python.org/about/success/esr/

      Of course since ESR is such a crappy coder compared to you, UNDOUBTEDLY you understand the code at first glance.

      Oh, and by the way, RMS has borrowed a few things for the GNU project. That's one of the reasons why Linus doesn't cooperate with the FSF.

      --
      Don't piss off The Angry Economist
    3. Re:ESR work by nomadic · · Score: 1

      Would you explain copy_instance() to me? I have a little bit of developer credibility, and *I* can't figure it out: http://www.python.org/about/success/esr/

      I have no idea, I'm not a developer.

      Of course since ESR is such a crappy coder compared to you, UNDOUBTEDLY you understand the code at first glance.

      See above.

      Oh, and by the way, RMS has borrowed a few things for the GNU project. That's one of the reasons why Linus doesn't cooperate with the FSF.

      But RMS a) has a huge body of his own code that ESR just doesn't have, b) RMS, he can be obnoxious, is not nearly as pompous and self-important as ESR, and c) RMS doesn't plaster his name over everything he does borrow.

    4. Re:ESR work by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      All the more reason ESR needs to go back to coding. He's utterly destroyed his own reputation as a pundit, let alone "anthropologist".

    5. Re:ESR work by Russ+Nelson · · Score: 2, Interesting

      I have no idea, I'm not a developer.


      Thanks for admitting it. So you really don't have a clue about Eric's mad skilz as a developer, do you? The previous time I saw him was at FISL in '05, in Porto Alegre Brazil. He was all happy because he was south of the equator, and could finally test (in person) some code in gpsd related to negative latitudes. He's at a conference and ... he's coding. So, yeah, the people who diss Eric's coding say more about their ignorance than they do about Eric's coding.

      As for his self-promotion, he has a goal to promote freedom. In order to get press attention, you need to promote yourself. Bruce Perens acknowledges being his own best friend, for the same reason. If you want to achieve a goal that includes people paying attention to you, you end up making more noise than you "deserve". Primates don't like this, so they criticize the people do this, but ... it's effective. Practically any time Perens posts on Slashdot, he gets a +5.
      --
      Don't piss off The Angry Economist
    6. Re:ESR work by Miseph · · Score: 1

      Microsoft and Apple seem to think so, I don't see why ESR shouldn't be able to do the same.

      --
      Try not to take me more seriously than I take myself.
    7. Re:ESR work by nomadic · · Score: 1

      Thanks for admitting it. So you really don't have a clue about Eric's mad skilz as a developer, do you?

      Oh please. If his coding "skilz" are so superior, how come the stuff he's written is either shoddy or non-useful? Why is fetchmail He was all happy because he was south of the equator, and could finally test (in person) some code in gpsd related to negative latitudes. He's at a conference and ... he's coding.

      Non sequitur. You're saying he a) he enjoyed coding something, so b) he's a good coder. How does this follow? Maybe that code he wrote sucked. So, yeah, the people who diss Eric's coding say more about their ignorance than they do about Eric's coding.

      Riiiiiight, because fetchmail is SUCH a fine piece of software engineering.

      Oooh, how about CML2? There's an unstoppable force in the OS development world.

      Let's look at the ol' ESR website and see what other treasures we can find. Hexdump. SO COOL.

      Oooh, Showkey! The NCSA must be breaking down his door to get access to that kind of skill. he has a goal to promote freedom.

      No, he has a goal to promote himself and his weird brand of fringe libertarian racist dogma.

    8. Re:ESR work by hostyle · · Score: 1

      Sure. Its a perl one-liner done ass-backards. Anything else?

      Whats that? Perl is line noise, you say? Well at least it has "line". ESR is just noise ...

      --
      Caesar si viveret, ad remum dareris.
    9. Re:ESR work by Outland+Traveller · · Score: 1

      ESR's copy_instance defines a class instance's variables/functions based on set of key-value pairs passed in at runtime, where the key is the name of the class function or class variable, and the value is the thing to set it to. You can think of it as a generic, fancy initializer that can define the behavior of class functions/methods as well as typical variables.

      This kind of fast-and-loose object manipulation is easy in python. It's built into the language.

      But don't feel too bad, the example might not have been written for maximal readability. There's a few things in there that are misleading.

    10. Re:ESR work by DrSkwid · · Score: 1

      this bit is particularly nasty

      class_sig = toclass.__dict__.keys(); class_sig.sort()
      dict_keys = fromdict.keys(); dict_keys.sort()

      More bad practice here

              if tuple(class_sig) != tuple(dict_keys):
                      print "Conformability error"
      # print "Class signature: " + `class_sig`
      # print "Dictionary keys: " + `dict_keys`
                      print "Not matched in class signature: " + `setdiff(class_sig, common)`
                      print "Not matched in dictionary keys: " + `setdiff(dict_keys, common)`
                      sys.exit(1)

      Error messages going to stdout
      Unexplained commented out of code

      The thing is pretty straight forward, ooh wow python keeps everything in dictionaries your code can introspect at runtime, amazing.

      --
      There are places where the networks are not touching,and there are places where they are-Boeing's Lori Gunter
    11. Re:ESR work by Russ+Nelson · · Score: 1

      You've embarrassed yourself well enough that I'm just going to deconstruct your last sentence. You have to say 'weird libertarian racist dogma' because libertarians are neither weird, nor racist, nor dogmatic.

      --
      Don't piss off The Angry Economist
    12. Re:ESR work by nomadic · · Score: 1

      You've embarrassed yourself well enough that I'm just going to deconstruct your last sentence.

      Ahh, Victory through Declaration of Victory. Nicely played.

      You have to say 'weird libertarian racist dogma' because libertarians are neither weird, nor racist, nor dogmatic.

      Uhhhh...yes? Libertarianism isn't inherently racist, in fact most brands of libertarianism are quite admirable in their views on race. Libertarians are not typically weird, though a lot of them are. Many are dogmatic, but not all.

      If I associated all these traits with libertarianism, I would just say "libertarianism". But because ESR represents a rather repulsive, yet still recognizably libertarian, strain of thought, I had to be more specific.

  36. scox == microsoft == information control by walterbyrd · · Score: 1

    Microsoft arranged funding the scox-scox. We are learning - 3 years later - that msft was not successful in this particular censorship endeavor, but how many times has msft been sucessful in controlling information which might not be beneficial to msft?

    Also, remember: before the scam, scox was a linux company. Why would scox mind if ibm were improving linux? The company that funded the scam - the puppet-master - however, has a big problem with ibm, or anybody, improving linux.

  37. Linus should be suing SCO by Fujisawa+Sensei · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Linus should be suing SCO for defamation of character because with they're lawsuits they're saying that's he's not competent to write a kernel, and accusing him plagiarizing of their code.

    --
    If someone is passing you on the right, you are an asshole for driving in the wrong lane.
  38. That's ironic because... by merc · · Score: 1

    SCO always succeeds in making me gag.

    --
    It's true no man is an island, but if you take a bunch of dead guys and tie 'em together, they make a good raft.
  39. Re:In case ol' boy doesn't show up by iminplaya · · Score: 1

    (Score:-1, Flamebait)

    Hehehe....what a bunch of sourpusses...

    --
    What?
  40. SCO is from Utah by SmallFurryCreature · · Score: 1

    SCO just got its teenage daughter pregnant. There corrected it for you.

    --

    MMO Quests are like orgasms:

    You may solo them, I prefer them in a group.

  41. Consistent with everything else by Random+BedHead+Ed · · Score: 2, Interesting

    It's clear that they didn't bother to find the facts before filing these gag requests. That's entirely consistent with everything we've come to expect from SCO from the very earliest days of the IBM suit. There is no reasoning behind the things that SCO says and does, only gut reaction, and it's amazing how many pundits and lawyers they duped into helping them tilt at their windmills. They were losing market share, and therefore money, to a free OS, and 'felt' cheated, 'felt' that Linux was an illegal derivative of UNIX. So they assumed their 'feelings' would eventually hold up in court. They haven't, and they won't. They 'felt' people were conspiring against them - Groklaw, Linus, the FSF - but this was all a paranoid delusion, just like the delusions upon which the original lawsuit was based. There has been no reason, no research, and no reality to anything that they've alleged. They show woeful ignorance of how copyright licensing works, about how their opponents operate, and even about the contents of their own contracts (like the Novell asset purchase agreement that could blow up in their faces any day now).

    I remember when the original suit was filed and first made news, knowing nothing about how SCO operated and guessing that IBM was in big trouble, and Linux users (myself included) would end up having to fork from a pre-tainted version of the kernel, or do some other such drastic thing. I wanted details - the whole OS, or just the kernel? Or another part? Which code was stolen? Then the interviews came, and Darl showed that he didn't even understand the difference between Linux (the kernel) and 'Linux' (the GNU-based OS). This is a company that has a keen sense of smell for money, but not much sense for anything else.

  42. Reminds me of the old tv program "you are there" by baomike · · Score: 1

    For those to old to remember, the program took you back in history to dramtize some event.
    It was portrayed as current news.
    Sort of like this article.

  43. Re:Eben isn't gagging himself by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    SFLC represents FSF still. No different.

  44. what to do with Darl by falconwolf · · Score: 1

    Perhaps we should destroy Darl's brain then bury him at a crossroads with a stake through his heart. Maybe toss a bit of garlic in there as well.

    That might be a good start with Darl but more needs to be done.

    Falcon
  45. Interesting Open Source tactic? by tacokill · · Score: 1

    You know, as I was reading this, I can't help but wonder if the "divided we stand" strategy is much better for open source, in general. We all know a legal storm can come at anytime and from any direction - even without evidence or cause. As they say, "money talks" and the SCO case illustrates that.

    If all of the open source advocates (ESR, RS, BP, etc) frequently worked *together*, they would present a pretty easy legal target for more SCO's out there. By staying fractured, open source is better able to withstand legal assaults like SCO's.

    And, from what I see, that's exactly how it is today. I only point this out because I think a lot of people miss this. It's a nice little side benefit of being a movement instead of a product/company.

  46. Anti-Idiotarian Manifesto by Kadin2048 · · Score: 1

    Dunno what your point was. Sure, the language is a little flowery, but to be honest he's not that bad of a writer -- I'll take honesty that may border on arrogance over false humility any day. And I don't really have any problem with his ideas in the Manifesto; there are some factual points I'd probably quibble with him on, but in terms of general beliefs I think the guy's got more going for him than anyone holding a major political office in the U.S. today. (Not that I'm setting a real high bar there...I guess that's 'damning with faint praise.' But seriously, based just on that I'd say he's probably an interesting guy to invite over to dinner -- at least he has opinions and they seem to be well thought out and basically consistent, cohesive, and rational; that's more than most people have.)

    I've never read the guy's blog, but he certainly seems to be able to turn it on when he wants to.

    --
    "Ladies and gentlemen, my killbot features Lotus Notes and a machine gun. It is the finest available."
  47. I think it counts as "varmit hunting" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    For the sake of your future US neighbors and passers-by, I hope you know a *lawyer* when you see one...

    There, fixed that for you.

  48. Typical McBride by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    When this first started, I googled McBride and found that he has asomewhat shady history. As I understand, he was fired from one company for unethical behavior and then sued the company for breach of contract and even filed crminal charges of fraud against the company.
        Robert Heinlein, the noted Science fiction writer, called this type of activity "Judo logic" because it attempts to use an opponents strengths aginst him. Obviously SCO's legal team was trying to manipulate the courts by using legal maneuvering to prevent key witnesses from testifying.
      Microsofts uses the SCO vs Linux trial as a foundation block in it's "Get the Facts" advertising campaign aimed at upper management, by implying the use of Microsoft products gives "freedom from indemnity". Expect Microsoft to support SCO by licensing overpriced copies of SCO products.