bpechter writes "Linux Today reports SCO has terminated Darl McBride and linked to the SCO 8K SEC report. The report found also at the SCO site and states: 'the Company has eliminated the Chief Executive Officer and President positions and consequently terminated Darl McBride.'"
The guy gave us grief for years and no doubt socked away millions on what he got from kiting their stock. He and Ralph Yarro (the owner) get away scott free, and let's not forget that besides the money there are the two suicides connected with this case: Val Kreidl Noorda and Rob Penrose.
Further to that, now that he's no longer at SCO, no one knows where he is going to land. Now that he has a taste for FOSS blood, he might end up at another company whose sole business model is litigation.
Val Noorda Kreidel, Ray Noorda's only daughter, shot herself to death at her home in Huntington Beach, California at 8am last Thursday morning, March 17, according to Orange County supervising deputy coroner Cullen Ellingburgh.
She shot herself in the head with a handgun, Ellingburgh said. He ruled out murder.
Ms. Kreidel committed suicide less than a week after the fracas over the management of the Canopy Group, her father's venture capital operation, was settled.
She was 49 and leaves a husband, four daughters and a son in addition to her parents and brothers.
The settlement transferred Canopy's 32% position in the infamous SCO Group and an undisclosed amount of money to former Canopy CEO Ralph Yarro.
The Yahoo message board related to SCO's stock wasn't content with the initial report that Ms. Kriedel died of an apparent heart attack and placed calls to the coroner that tore away the protective euphemism.
Given Ms. Kriedel's conservative Mormon roots, one can understand why the family might be giving it out that she died of natural causes.
Those two things are not mutually exclusive. If I had a child who committed suicide, I'd be disinclined to share that information.
Regarding suicide being a sin, it's a touchy subject though because many, if not most, people who commit suicide are mentally ill or are suffering from other mitigating circumstances. I can't speak for Mormon theology, but as a Catholic, we can pray for the repose of that person's soul. We cannot and do not judge the disposition of that person's soul. Personally, I trust in the mercy of God and that whatever He does is just. There's not much else you can do.
Mormon theology is one of the most lenient when it comes to suicide. The person who died gets full burial rights and it's believed that if the dead was not 100% in control of their mental faculties (i.e. schizophrenia, drug side effects, clinical depression, etc), then they won't be held accountable for that act when the judgement day comes. Since no one knows but the dead and God if that was the case, then the church assumes the person was spiritually innocent and treats their service and their family as if it were natural causes, letting the judgement fall completely on the other side.
Sad. But too often true. All one needs to do is read the book of Job (the one in the Bible, not Apple CEO), to see this.
As a congregational leader, it is tempting to sit in judgment when bad things happen to good people. It is also easy to marvel when good things happen to bad people.
However, I teach that these things are as much a test of character as anything. I'm not one who can judge another, because simply it is not my job description.
As tempting as it may seem, we should instead focus on what we can do with what we have, to build up and bless(Order, Peace, Joy) this world we live in; leaving it better than when we found it.
But hey, what do I know? I'm a wacko religious nutcase.;)
Oh, Bruce. Vicious, semi-legal, fraudulent, knock down drag out competition is the cornerstone of capitalism. Why, if CEOs do not try every ruthless, amoral strategy they can think up, they aren't competing. Without competition, the fat lazy companies take over the business ecosystem. If companies did not try to take advantage of every customer, supplier, and worker, those customers, suppliers, and workers would take advantage of them, or worse yet, everyone would get a fair deal. And if everyone got a fair deal, the strong would not succeed and the weak would not fail, and that would weaken the gene pool.
See, by relentlessly screwing us over, people like Darrell are improving the species.
Vicious, semi-legal, fraudulent, knock down drag out competition is the cornerstone of capitalism.
Not if you want to stay in business for the long haul.
How did this not get a single flame mod?
Because everyone knows I'm right. Show me one business that has been around 'for the long haul' that does not have at least one black mark of this type on it's record, and I'll back down.
People are sick and tired of this kind of capitalism. They see it on Wall Street every day. They see it destroying America, and they hate it. So no, nobody feels like I'm flaming anything. Just telling the hard truth. Most Americans are moral people. Most CEOs aren't, and people are tired of Wall Street Fat Cats getting respect they don't deserve.
I'm not badmouthing capitalism in general here, just the utter lack of morals it encourages. Amoral behavior is not okay, and America will no longer accept it from our business leaders.
Show me one business that has been around 'for the long haul' that does not have at least one black mark of this type on it's record, and I'll back down.
Lego. Zippo. They're out there, although few and far between: Small companies that actually make things and aren't cutthroat because they're the best at what they do, that live on reputations of quality--real quality, not the word "quality". And more often than not, they end up selling out to huge conglomerates that either wisely let them do their thing in peace (Ben & Jerry's), or milk their reputation while letting them rot (Singer). But there are a (very) few out there that stay independent and manage to not be evil without it being a marketing strategy.
America will no longer accept it from our business leaders.
For how long?
How long does it take a generation to forget a major recession? Five years? Ten?
How long did it take to make it okay to say, 'greed is good,' in public? Back in the 50s and 60s, it was not okay to say that. CEOs and other corporate fat cats could not flaunt their amorality. They had to at least pay lip service to being good community members.
If I recall, greed started being 'good' in the eighties, at least according to Gordon Gekko. I don't think the majority of people think it is anymore. Maybe we can hold better values than greed in high esteem again, things like cooperation, fairness, reciprocity, service, and selflessness.
Maybe we shouldn't be playing the sociopath's game if we aren't sociopaths. They will always win that game.
It was only a decade between Michael Milken and Enron. And look how many kudos Milken gets for his philantrophy these days. 6 months in jail and they didn't take his money away.
People do not act like this in every system. Systems impact how people act. There will always be selfish people in any system, true. But systems that cater to and reward selfish behavior, that don't allow people to punish unfairness, will create more selfishness.
While your suggestions as to how to correct things are astute, you seem to be denying the impact that economic systems can have on people's behavior. You may want to read up on modern economic theory. Economic systems can make a huge difference in whether people play fair or not. Look up various games theory experiments, the dictator game, the public goods game, the ultimatum game. Or google, 'fairness reciprocity economic research.' It turns out that, counter to your assertion, people are not primarily selfish or self interested. They are far more motivated by notions of fairness and reciprocity. Only when they have no power to punish unfairness in others do most people resort to selfishness, to avoid being taken advantage of.
For some background, Darl McBride was the CEO who saw the Linux company SCO through some of the hardest times the company ever went through. As CEO, McBride redefined SCO so as to make it one of the most talked-about computer companies ever. His leadership pushed the SCO reputation to limits most companies never reach.
SCO is a company for the history books nowadays, but just a few years ago it was one of the most influential companies around, garnering interest and vile from MS and a host of Linux vendors. They will be missed.
"Darl McBride, chief executive of SCO Group Inc., says he sometimes carries a gun because his enemies are out to kill him. He checks into hotels under assumed names. An armed body guard protected him at Harvard Law School when he gave a speech last month."
So, did he ever get use that gun against the people who terminated him, I wonder?
> "An armed body guard protected him at Harvard Law School when he gave a speech last month."
> So, did he ever get use that gun against the people who terminated him, I wonder?
I wonder more why anyone at Harvard law school would invite, and even listen to him?
Yes, it is of course just part of the wonders of modern society, where a sociopath can keep on messing up society via influential positions he gets via friends (i.e. fellow sociopaths). Isn't it great?
Eh, it's like when my legal studies professor brought a Worcester attorney into our classroom to talk about his experiences. The prof told him to be totally honest. The lawyer was, like, "Really? Well... OK." and proceeded to tell the class all about the bribery, secret handshakes, personal agendas, and legal gimmicks that actually make the world (or, Worcester anyway) go round. As a student, it was very enlightening. It also totally crushed my desire to ever be an attorney.
He tried to appropriate the hard work of the community, scam people and organisations out of protection^H^H^H^H license money and sully the name of FOSS in general. All the while raking in money hand over fist and obstructing the legal process at every turn.
I very much doubt he needs to fear for his own safety, but yes, he is actually a first degree asshole.
There was about a year where SCO loomed as a very large threat. So yes, there was a time when McBride deserved the ill will he received not just here, but in many places. After it became clear that SCO literally had nothing at all, it became more of a joke. Now it's just kind of pathetic to watch as the whole thing implodes, so I certainly could care less what happened to him. If I were a shareholder, however...
For all everyone's complaining here, did he really do anything that negatively impacted your lives?
No, but neither did any of those involved in the Rwandan genocide. One of the things about being a part of a society is that you are allowed to care about things that don't directly affect you personally.
Interesting. Its not very common for me to run into a Darl McBride sympathizer. The man after all is one of the worst scums the Linux community has ever encountered. He probably is the most hated man in technology. And you don't attain that title for just causing some uncertainty in the market.
The man lied and continued to lie for years. Filed frivolous lawsuits and dragged innocent people into court for years. And illegally pumped his company's worthless stock so that it could be dumped on unsuspecting investors. Essentially called all Linux users thieves and told them that he was coming for them. The list of his crimes and his victim is very long. And there are two suicides related to this case. You do not appear to have followed this scum as closely as many others here. This guy is a con artist of the highest order.
The SCO stock last traded at 13 cents. That does not mean that anyone will buy for 13 cents. Volume is less than 5000 shares a day, you can see the individual trades in the chart.
In fact the main reason people would buy SCO at this point is because they had previously sold the stock short and want to buy to cover so they can recognize the profit this tax year rather than be forced to recognize the profit when the company goes bankrupt. Looks to me like today's trading means that someone paid $700 to close a SCO short.
After that there are probably a bunch of pump and dump scammers out there and folk who recon that maybe IBM will decide its cheaper to buy SCO out than continue litigation.
The price of a single share is not the same as the proportional value of the company, nor should it be. Real companies do not increase or decrease in value by 10% in a single day. The market prices of shares can over or under value the company significantly.
At $13 a share the marketcap of SCO is about $2.5M. That is more than the company is worth but less than you would need to pay to buy the company.
Now, they just need to get rid of Chris Sontag [sco.com], who publicly brags that he was the architect behind the attack on Linux in the media. A company I used to work for hired him temporarily for business development. On his first day there, he actually thought he'd earn points from the software engineers by telling us about his attack on Linux. Needless to say, he didn't last very long at our company, where we primarily used Linux as our dev platform.
I doubt he'll cry too much over it. His little stock kiting scam has made him somewhat independently wealthy, and barring a lawsuit, I doubt he'll have to give the money back.
OTOH, I doubt that no one in the tech industry (save for maybe Microsoft) would ever hire him for anything.
(the Linux Foundation could maybe use a janitor, but...)
"OTOH, I doubt that no one in the tech industry (save for maybe Microsoft) would ever hire him for anything."....except to repeat his SCO adventures with another expendable company.
Remember at the end of the first Star Wars when Luke is jamming down the trench with Vader and his crew looking to bust a cap in his ass but Solo lays the smack down and Vader gets bitch slapped and they blow up the Death Star and they cut back to Vader recovering from a triple lutz doing a "WTF"?
by Anonymous Coward
on Monday October 19, @11:29AM (#29795613)
You don't even need to "translate". The next sentence in the TFPressRelease reads:
These actions will allow the Trustee to preserve cash and the value of the business while enabling the Company to proceed with asset sales, pursue litigation against, among others, IBM and Novell
"terminates" (Score:5, Funny)
I don't think that word means what I want it to...
That's a bit harsh (Score:5, Funny)
>SCO has terminated Darl McBride
That's a bit harsh. Couldn't they just have fired him?
Re:That's a bit harsh (Score:5, Funny)
Can't fire him - he's inflammable.
Parent
Re:That's a bit harsh (Score:5, Funny)
<dr. nick>Inflammable means flammable?!? What a country!</dr. nick>
Parent
Re:That's a bit harsh (Score:5, Funny)
That's a bit harsh. Couldn't they just have fired him?
You cannot fire that which does not work.
Parent
Re:That's a bit harsh (Score:5, Funny)
You cannot fire that which does not work.
That's not what your boss will say when he finds out you were on /. instead of working.
Parent
Re:That's a bit harsh (Score:5, Funny)
Parent
Big deal (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Big deal (Score:4, Funny)
Agreed. Call me when the shareholder lawsuit gets filed (if ever).
Parent
Re:Big deal (Score:4, Funny)
Parent
Re:Big deal (Score:5, Funny)
Better not go swimming then.
Parent
Re:Big deal (Score:5, Interesting)
Further to that, now that he's no longer at SCO, no one knows where he is going to land. Now that he has a taste for FOSS blood, he might end up at another company whose sole business model is litigation.
Parent
Re:Big deal (Score:5, Insightful)
Bank Of America seems to have an opening for a CEO that likes to really mess up the company they run. Darl would be perfect!
Parent
Re:Big deal (Score:5, Informative)
Val Noorda Kreidel, Ray Noorda's only daughter, shot herself to death at her home in Huntington Beach, California at 8am last Thursday morning, March 17, according to Orange County supervising deputy coroner Cullen Ellingburgh.
She shot herself in the head with a handgun, Ellingburgh said. He ruled out murder.
Ms. Kreidel committed suicide less than a week after the fracas over the management of the Canopy Group, her father's venture capital operation, was settled.
She was 49 and leaves a husband, four daughters and a son in addition to her parents and brothers.
The settlement transferred Canopy's 32% position in the infamous SCO Group and an undisclosed amount of money to former Canopy CEO Ralph Yarro. The Yahoo message board related to SCO's stock wasn't content with the initial report that Ms. Kriedel died of an apparent heart attack and placed calls to the coroner that tore away the protective euphemism.
Given Ms. Kriedel's conservative Mormon roots, one can understand why the family might be giving it out that she died of natural causes.
Parent
Re:Big deal (Score:5, Insightful)
Those two things are not mutually exclusive. If I had a child who committed suicide, I'd be disinclined to share that information.
Regarding suicide being a sin, it's a touchy subject though because many, if not most, people who commit suicide are mentally ill or are suffering from other mitigating circumstances. I can't speak for Mormon theology, but as a Catholic, we can pray for the repose of that person's soul. We cannot and do not judge the disposition of that person's soul. Personally, I trust in the mercy of God and that whatever He does is just. There's not much else you can do.
Parent
Re:Big deal (Score:5, Interesting)
Parent
Re:The Church and suicide (Score:5, Insightful)
Sad. But too often true. All one needs to do is read the book of Job (the one in the Bible, not Apple CEO), to see this.
As a congregational leader, it is tempting to sit in judgment when bad things happen to good people. It is also easy to marvel when good things happen to bad people.
However, I teach that these things are as much a test of character as anything. I'm not one who can judge another, because simply it is not my job description.
As tempting as it may seem, we should instead focus on what we can do with what we have, to build up and bless(Order, Peace, Joy) this world we live in; leaving it better than when we found it.
But hey, what do I know? I'm a wacko religious nutcase. ;)
Parent
Re:The Church and suicide (Score:5, Funny)
Quoth Archangel Michael :
As a congregational leader...
Holy crap. I'd think a being like yourself would have better things to do than post on Slashdot.
Parent
Re:Big deal (Score:5, Insightful)
Oh, Bruce. Vicious, semi-legal, fraudulent, knock down drag out competition is the cornerstone of capitalism. Why, if CEOs do not try every ruthless, amoral strategy they can think up, they aren't competing. Without competition, the fat lazy companies take over the business ecosystem. If companies did not try to take advantage of every customer, supplier, and worker, those customers, suppliers, and workers would take advantage of them, or worse yet, everyone would get a fair deal. And if everyone got a fair deal, the strong would not succeed and the weak would not fail, and that would weaken the gene pool.
See, by relentlessly screwing us over, people like Darrell are improving the species.
Parent
Re:Big deal (Score:5, Insightful)
Vicious, semi-legal, fraudulent, knock down drag out competition is the cornerstone of capitalism.
Not if you want to stay in business for the long haul.
How did this not get a single flame mod?
Because everyone knows I'm right. Show me one business that has been around 'for the long haul' that does not have at least one black mark of this type on it's record, and I'll back down.
People are sick and tired of this kind of capitalism. They see it on Wall Street every day. They see it destroying America, and they hate it. So no, nobody feels like I'm flaming anything. Just telling the hard truth. Most Americans are moral people. Most CEOs aren't, and people are tired of Wall Street Fat Cats getting respect they don't deserve.
I'm not badmouthing capitalism in general here, just the utter lack of morals it encourages. Amoral behavior is not okay, and America will no longer accept it from our business leaders.
Parent
Re:Big deal (Score:5, Informative)
Show me one business that has been around 'for the long haul' that does not have at least one black mark of this type on it's record, and I'll back down.
Lego. Zippo. They're out there, although few and far between: Small companies that actually make things and aren't cutthroat because they're the best at what they do, that live on reputations of quality--real quality, not the word "quality". And more often than not, they end up selling out to huge conglomerates that either wisely let them do their thing in peace (Ben & Jerry's), or milk their reputation while letting them rot (Singer). But there are a (very) few out there that stay independent and manage to not be evil without it being a marketing strategy.
Parent
Re:Big deal (Score:5, Insightful)
America will no longer accept it from our business leaders.
For how long?
Until the next season of TV starts up in about a month :{
Parent
Re:Big deal (Score:5, Insightful)
For how long?
How long does it take a generation to forget a major recession? Five years? Ten?
How long did it take to make it okay to say, 'greed is good,' in public? Back in the 50s and 60s, it was not okay to say that. CEOs and other corporate fat cats could not flaunt their amorality. They had to at least pay lip service to being good community members.
If I recall, greed started being 'good' in the eighties, at least according to Gordon Gekko. I don't think the majority of people think it is anymore. Maybe we can hold better values than greed in high esteem again, things like cooperation, fairness, reciprocity, service, and selflessness.
Maybe we shouldn't be playing the sociopath's game if we aren't sociopaths. They will always win that game.
Parent
Re:Big deal (Score:5, Insightful)
Parent
Re:Big deal (Score:5, Interesting)
People do not act like this in every system. Systems impact how people act. There will always be selfish people in any system, true. But systems that cater to and reward selfish behavior, that don't allow people to punish unfairness, will create more selfishness.
While your suggestions as to how to correct things are astute, you seem to be denying the impact that economic systems can have on people's behavior. You may want to read up on modern economic theory. Economic systems can make a huge difference in whether people play fair or not. Look up various games theory experiments, the dictator game, the public goods game, the ultimatum game. Or google, 'fairness reciprocity economic research.' It turns out that, counter to your assertion, people are not primarily selfish or self interested. They are far more motivated by notions of fairness and reciprocity. Only when they have no power to punish unfairness in others do most people resort to selfishness, to avoid being taken advantage of.
Parent
TERMINATION (Score:5, Insightful)
A lot of newer slashbots won't know of him (Score:5, Funny)
For some background, Darl McBride was the CEO who saw the Linux company SCO through some of the hardest times the company ever went through. As CEO, McBride redefined SCO so as to make it one of the most talked-about computer companies ever. His leadership pushed the SCO reputation to limits most companies never reach.
SCO is a company for the history books nowadays, but just a few years ago it was one of the most influential companies around, garnering interest and vile from MS and a host of Linux vendors. They will be missed.
Re:A lot of newer slashbots won't know of him (Score:5, Funny)
They will be missed.
Just keep firing.
Parent
Re:A lot of newer slashbots won't know of him (Score:5, Funny)
Once he puts it down on his resume' he is going to sue you for copyright infringement.
Parent
Did the Gun Help? (Score:4, Informative)
"Darl McBride, chief executive of SCO Group Inc., says he sometimes carries a gun because his enemies are out to kill him. He checks into hotels under assumed names. An armed body guard protected him at Harvard Law School when he gave a speech last month."
So, did he ever get use that gun against the people who terminated him, I wonder?
http://www.deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,595047068,00.html?pg=1 [deseretnews.com]
Re:Did the Gun Help? (Score:5, Insightful)
> "An armed body guard protected him at Harvard Law School when he gave a speech last month."
> So, did he ever get use that gun against the people who terminated him, I wonder?
I wonder more why anyone at Harvard law school would invite, and even listen to him?
Yes, it is of course just part of the wonders of modern society, where a sociopath can keep on messing up society via influential positions he gets via friends (i.e. fellow sociopaths). Isn't it great?
Parent
Re:Did the Gun Help? (Score:5, Interesting)
Parent
Re:Did the Gun Help? (Score:5, Insightful)
He tried to appropriate the hard work of the community, scam people and organisations out of protection^H^H^H^H license money and sully the name of FOSS in general. All the while raking in money hand over fist and obstructing the legal process at every turn.
I very much doubt he needs to fear for his own safety, but yes, he is actually a first degree asshole.
Parent
Re:Did the Gun Help? (Score:4, Interesting)
There was about a year where SCO loomed as a very large threat. So yes, there was a time when McBride deserved the ill will he received not just here, but in many places. After it became clear that SCO literally had nothing at all, it became more of a joke. Now it's just kind of pathetic to watch as the whole thing implodes, so I certainly could care less what happened to him. If I were a shareholder, however...
Parent
Re:Did the Gun Help? (Score:5, Insightful)
For all everyone's complaining here, did he really do anything that negatively impacted your lives?
No, but neither did any of those involved in the Rwandan genocide. One of the things about being a part of a society is that you are allowed to care about things that don't directly affect you personally.
Parent
Re:Did the Gun Help? (Score:5, Interesting)
Interesting. Its not very common for me to run into a Darl McBride sympathizer. The man after all is one of the worst scums the Linux community has ever encountered. He probably is the most hated man in technology. And you don't attain that title for just causing some uncertainty in the market.
The man lied and continued to lie for years. Filed frivolous lawsuits and dragged innocent people into court for years. And illegally pumped his company's worthless stock so that it could be dumped on unsuspecting investors. Essentially called all Linux users thieves and told them that he was coming for them. The list of his crimes and his victim is very long. And there are two suicides related to this case. You do not appear to have followed this scum as closely as many others here. This guy is a con artist of the highest order.
Parent
Re:Did the Gun Help? (Score:5, Funny)
I advocate any form of violence against anyone.
I would, however, like to see him prosecuted, and be justly stripped of his riches, and to do a long stint behind bars. And Mr. Yarro too.
Parent
Good bye loser! (Score:4, Insightful)
kill -9 `pgrep darl_mc_bride`
Re:Not quite into the ground (Score:5, Informative)
Parent
Chris Sontag (Score:5, Interesting)
He was a kind and generous man.... (Score:4, Funny)
Re:See ya! (Score:5, Interesting)
I doubt he'll cry too much over it. His little stock kiting scam has made him somewhat independently wealthy, and barring a lawsuit, I doubt he'll have to give the money back.
OTOH, I doubt that no one in the tech industry (save for maybe Microsoft) would ever hire him for anything.
(the Linux Foundation could maybe use a janitor, but...)
Parent
Re:See ya! (Score:5, Interesting)
"OTOH, I doubt that no one in the tech industry (save for maybe Microsoft) would ever hire him for anything." ....except to repeat his SCO adventures with another expendable company.
Parent
Re:See ya! (Score:5, Insightful)
Parent
Re:See ya! (Score:5, Funny)
Remember at the end of the first Star Wars when Luke is jamming down the trench with Vader and his crew looking to bust a cap in his ass but Solo lays the smack down and Vader gets bitch slapped and they blow up the Death Star and they cut back to Vader recovering from a triple lutz doing a "WTF"?
Darl = Darth
Hope that clears it up for you.
Parent
And along those lines... (Score:5, Interesting)
If anyone, and I mean anyone gets a copy of his resume sent to their HR department...they must post it.
I apologize for the brusque tone, but this is not optional - you have to do it. In it's entirety, unedited.
I'll bet it reads like Kim Jong Il wrote it. [11points.com]
Parent
Re:See ya! (Score:5, Insightful)
I think they've already sold the door.
He's received millions in compensation during this whole pump-and-dump scam. I'm sure he's crying all the way to the bank.
Parent
Re:Best publicist EVAR (Score:4, Funny)
I don't know about that. I kinda lean towards the Former Iraqi Information Minister, Muhammad Saeed al-Sahhaf (AKA Baghdad Bob)
Parent
Re:Raising additional funding (Score:4, Informative)
You don't even need to "translate". The next sentence in the TFPressRelease reads:
(emphasis mine)
Parent
Re:Don't forget... (Score:5, Funny)
They killed a man for fucks sake! This is no time to be trolling!
Parent