Daniel Lyons of Forbes Admits Being Snowed by SCO

certain death writes "Daniel Lyons of Forbes Magazine has admitted to being snowed by SCO, regarding their lawsuit over Linux and SCO code. He specifically mentions Groklaw's role in the case, and regrets his early articles giving the company the benefit of the doubt. 'I still thought it would be foolish to predict how this lawsuit (or any lawsuit) would play out. I even wrote an article called "Revenge of the Nerds," which poked fun at the pack of amateur sleuths who were following the case on a Web site called Groklaw and who claimed to know for sure that SCO was going to lose. Turns out those amateur sleuths were right. Now some of them are writing to me asking how I'd like my crow cooked, and where I'd like it delivered. Others in that highly partisan crowd have suggested that I wanted SCO to win, and even that I was paid off by SCO or Microsoft. Of course that's not true. I've told these folks it's not true. Hasn't stopped them. The truth, as is often the case, is far less exciting than the conspiracy theorists would like to believe. It is simply this: I got it wrong. The nerds got it right.'"

Comments

AKA: Fake Steve Jobs

[Teese]

just so you know

Still sarcastic

[Roadmaster]

Does anyone else read " It is simply this: I got it wrong. The nerds got it right" like a high-school jock saying "damn nerd beat me again"?

Mr. Lyons, let's rephrase it to say "I fucked up big time; and everyone else with half a brain COULD see the facts but I couldn't".

Also, downplaying the fact that the journalist made a huge mistake by saying "I got it wrong, big deal", is in itself a tremendous blunder; as someone whose most valuable skill is his reliability, knowing that he fucked up big time in something so obvious should ring sirens for anyone currently paying this guy money to write.

I bet you work for CMP! LOL!

The employees?

[tkrotchko]

I seem to remember SCO released all its technical employees several years ago. Towards the end, they consisted of a handful of people who just handled the books and the lawyers.

Really, there has been no SCO for a long time.

Re:He's only...

[Frosty Piss]

I wonder about the investors who will now lose pretty well everything they banked on the crapshoot.

They knew the rules, they gambled and lost. Had they done even the weakest analysis of the SCO case, they would have passed. Such is life for those that wish to play that game.

Then there's also the poor employees who will undoubtably suffer as they seek employment elsewhere.

Any of their employees that didn't have a vested interest are already gone. Those that are still around have profited very well indeed by sucking the life out of SCO and shilling for Microsoft. They have been well compensated and will move on to the next scheme. Perhaps they can find employment in the Patent Troll industry.

So a journo got it wrong, not like he's Dan Rather being lead down the garden path and left there by CBS researchers and management.

Yes, and now he wants to redeem himself and hope everyone forgets that he trashed Groklaw and the Open Source Movement. I have no sympathy for him anymore than I will when Laura Didio admits she was wrong.

Re:Thank you, Daniel

[lysse]

At least he didn't call them "freetards" this time.

Re:Thank you, Daniel

[plover]

Actually, I think he may owe a lot more than a handful of apologies.

How many people were duped into investing in SCO because a reputable magazine like Forbes backed them? How many had their shares wiped out completely because his "analysis" of the legal situation turned out to be a mere parroting of the paid corporate shills?

I'd be more than mad if I lost my money because of this man's inept journalism. I'd be hiring a lawyer.