Journal aws4y's Journal: BBC and SCO
I posted this letter to the BBC about, This Article.
The letter I posted reads:
You're article is well written, however I must disagree with your assesment of intelectual property issues
regarding Linux. Linux is, in fact built primarily by individuals. Only the recent Kernels, version 2.4 and above, have had code contributed by companies. Most times, the kernel code is contributed by an accomplished programer who is well aware that they cannot use proprietary code.In many cases Linus himself, Eric Raymond or Alan Cox (all of whom are accomplished programers who are very aware of the inner workings of Unix) review the code and look at who has contributed it. If there are intelectual property issues, they have to do with knowledge that is pseudo-public, meaning that the knowledge is well known but under some obscure copyright. All of the kernel archives can be checked by companies on a regular basis. Also, Caldera, or SCO, has and continues to distribute the Linux sourcecode. Caldera bought the rights to Unix as a Linux company, and have now shuned there past in favor of a quick buck. This is why the Open source comunity is up in arms, as SCO has made repeatedly contrdictory statements and refuses to produce evidence of their IP in Linux. I would invite any company on earth to look throught the Linux kernel, part of its great wonder is the fact that some of the worlds best and brightest individuals have innovated new ways of doing old things in the computer world. That is what makes linux so stable, fast and powerful NOT other peoples Intelectual Property.
-Aaron Smith
The letter I posted reads:
You're article is well written, however I must disagree with your assesment of intelectual property issues
regarding Linux. Linux is, in fact built primarily by individuals. Only the recent Kernels, version 2.4 and above, have had code contributed by companies. Most times, the kernel code is contributed by an accomplished programer who is well aware that they cannot use proprietary code.In many cases Linus himself, Eric Raymond or Alan Cox (all of whom are accomplished programers who are very aware of the inner workings of Unix) review the code and look at who has contributed it. If there are intelectual property issues, they have to do with knowledge that is pseudo-public, meaning that the knowledge is well known but under some obscure copyright. All of the kernel archives can be checked by companies on a regular basis. Also, Caldera, or SCO, has and continues to distribute the Linux sourcecode. Caldera bought the rights to Unix as a Linux company, and have now shuned there past in favor of a quick buck. This is why the Open source comunity is up in arms, as SCO has made repeatedly contrdictory statements and refuses to produce evidence of their IP in Linux. I would invite any company on earth to look throught the Linux kernel, part of its great wonder is the fact that some of the worlds best and brightest individuals have innovated new ways of doing old things in the computer world. That is what makes linux so stable, fast and powerful NOT other peoples Intelectual Property.
-Aaron Smith
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