SCO's Real Motive... A Buyout? 451
psykocrime writes "Acccording to this article in ComputerWorld, CEO Darl McBride of SCO has finally discussed the possibility of a buyout by IBM in public. Among other things, McBride says:
"I'm not trying to screw up the Linux business," he said. "I'm trying to take care of the shareholders, employees and people who have been having their rights trampled on." and
"If there's a way of resolving this that is positive, then we can get back out to business and everybody is good to go, then I'm fine with that," McBride said today in an interview with Computerworld. "If that's one of the outcomes of this, then so be it."
Also, yet another computerworld article indicates that most of the press and analysts who have been invited to take part in SCO's "public review of the infringing code" have declined... apparently due primarily to concerns over the terms of the non-disclosure agreement SCO is asking them to agree to. Linus in particular has said "no way" to signing their NDA to look at the code."
SCO, please (Score:-1, Funny)
teh ir0ny (Score:5, Funny)
Annual license Fee (Score:1, Funny)
S.C.O= (Score:3, Funny)
Of course they want a buyout. IBM is one of the biggest companies in the world. The execs line their pockets with money, and everone else gets laid offor quits. And if they take down linux, more money flows from the backdoor that, if you folow it, leads to Microsoft.
Re:Hang one a second... (Score:1, Funny)
"no way" ??? (Score:5, Funny)
I think they dropped a word out of the middle of the Linus quote.
no (Score:5, Funny)
A positive outcome of this would be the complete and utter bankrupt of SCO. It would be shame if that kind of shitty behavior is rewarded.
If I belived in hell I would wish them there... On the other hand, they would probably be thrown a "welcome back" party.
Re:Take away their publicity (Score:5, Funny)
You are forgetting that this mess is being driven by lawyers. Since lawyers are a form of anaerobic bacteria, cutting off their oxygen won't help...
Big Blue as OSS Mega-Hero? (Score:5, Funny)
If they make this gift to the community, then be careful in the future to not piss us off, IBM could make billions more than they already make.
"IBM, Savior of Linux", wow. That may be enough to get RMS to take a bath.
american legal system (Score:4, Funny)
Perfect Catch 22 (Score:1, Funny)
"I could tell you, but then I would have to kill you!" -Colonel Flagg from "Mash"
Re:Big Blue as OSS Mega-Hero? (Score:5, Funny)
He'll never open the spigots unless it's "IBM, Savior of GNU/Linux."
On behalf of anaerobic bacteria everywhere.... (Score:5, Funny)
They would threaten to sue, but that would be too low for them.
Re:Linux is the ultimate of UNIX bastardization (Score:1, Funny)
Re:Anyone who buys SCO (Score:3, Funny)
Re:S.C.O= (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Two pronged approach (Score:4, Funny)
That's a good idea. Hey, while we're on the topic, I was looking through the Linux source code last week and found some stuff that was *exactly* like code I'd posted to Usenet back in the late 80's. I can't say what it was cuz it's my intellectual property, but I'm getting ready to sue anyone I can find who's invested in Linux. If anyone from IBM is reading this, I can be bought out for $10 million dollars.
PS. My brother-in-law Bob says he has some IP in the kernal too. $10 million for him too.
Thnx!
Easy Solution -Novell (Score:3, Funny)
Re:teh ir0ny (Score:4, Funny)
Linus, would you please scan in the NDA and post it for us to review?
Thanks,
Slashdotters
Comment removed (Score:3, Funny)
Re:"The Linux business"? (Score:1, Funny)
Re:Take away their publicity (Score:3, Funny)
what will stop the next company from doing the same thing
Normally I would agree with you, but in the insanity of the US court system and its lottery mentality, you almost have to deal with them.
I have an idea... why not have the entire of the SCO management killed?
No-one has to go to court, and no-one tries the same thing again. There's no risk* - Everybody** wins!
Just my $0.02,
Michael
*assuming hired killers escape capture
**except SCO
Re:teh ir0ny (Score:3, Funny)
Unfortunately the experts had to sign an NDA to read the NDA they were being asked to sign.
Re:Two pronged approach (Score:2, Funny)
I'm in a similar situation, except I can be bought for a McDonald's Happy Meal, and gas money to get there.
One possible way it could play out... (Score:4, Funny)
I can just see the closed-doors conference now.
IBM Guy: Well, Mr. McBride. You claimed that you had an offer to make, of a way to settle this amicably.
Darl McBride: That's true, and that's what I've wanted from the beginning. I've always hoped that we could find a way to resolve this peacefully and positively.
IBM Guy: Which is why your first attempt to 'resolve' this matter was to make loud, splashy public allegations.
Darl: What? Oh. Well, yeah, I suppose that maybe this meeting might have gone smoother if I hadn't done that. I'm sorry, it was a heat-of-the-moment sort of thing --
IBM: And why you further upped the ante by mailing those same allegations to our corporate customers, telling them that they could be sued if they continued to use a product which, at that time, you were still selling yourself.
Darl: Um... Well, yes. ... the heat of several moments? No. Ah, well, you see, it was just that I was mad that no one was taking me seriously, after all the time and care I put into manufact-- er, documenting the grievous wrongs done to my company.
IBM: Which company? The one that sold goods and services or the one that exists to extort money through allegations that your 'intellectual property' has been violated?
Darl: Ah... that would be the latter.
IBM: Yes. I've read your "documented" complaints. Very intriguing, I must say.
Darl: Why, thank you, I --
IBM: I especially like the part where you lied.
Darl: Excuse me?
IBM: Where you claimed that Linux could only have gotten so good if IBM took secrets that we learned from you and illegally shared them with the Linux developers. For instance, the secret of making the operating system run on 32 processors at a time.
Darl: Oh, well. That.
IBM: When in fact Linux was doing that back before you were working with us on Project Monterey, and before we began supporting Linux.
Darl: Um. Well, yes, but that's not exactly a lie, you see. Cause, um... well, our low opinion of the ability of anyone who isn't employed by SCO is just positive proof that anything good must have been ripped off from us!
IBM: Like 32-way scaling?
Darl: Yes! Like that!
IBM: Even though your own products don't have that?
Darl: ... Um.
IBM: But nevertheless, you're pressing ahead with the court case.
Darl: Well, not unless we have to; you know we've always wanted to settle this amicably --
IBM: Insults on the competence of Linux developers and the ethics of IBM?
Darl: Well, not "amicably", maybe, more like "peacefully" --
IBM: Not to mention that it's also an insult to IBM's practicality. We are still one of the biggest and oldest computer companies in the world. We have a huge intellectual property portfolio ourselves, and millions in yearly revenue. We can afford to hire the best people to create whatever intellectual property we need to stay competitive, but you instead claim we lowered ourselves -- and endangered ourselves -- by stealing from you. It's like accusing a millionaire of stealing a wooden nickel from a beggar.
Darl: Hey! Are you comparing SCO's intellectual property to a wooden nickel?
IBM: Yes.
Darl: Oh. ... well, that's not very nice.
IBM: Is it inaccurate?
Darl: Well, making it a wooden nickel implies ... I dunno, some sort of doubt that our claims are genuine.
IBM: Which is why you refused to clarify them, claiming that if you identified which code it was that was stolen from you, the Linux community could "launder" away the evidence?
Darl: Well, they could!
IBM: The evidence is available to anyone with an Internet connection from a few hundred different commercial vendors and academic institutions and non-profit foundations. Th