Submission + - Sun Helped fund SCO assault on Linux? (linux-watch.com)
Kennon writes: "Did Sun use SCO to attack Linux just like Microsoft?
Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols over at Linux Watch seems to believe that might be the case. TFA:
Looks like GoDaddy is parking boycottsun.com!"
Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols over at Linux Watch seems to believe that might be the case. TFA:
"According to the court exhibit, Sun bought a "right to use license" (RTU license) for its commercial Linux end-users. In addition, Sun was buying "a UnixWare source code license to developers," and both licenses "contained a covenant not to sue, which provided that the licensee would not be exposed to liability for the use of SCO's intellectual property in Linux."
Nowhere does the exhibit explain in any detail exactly what SCO IP was hidden within Linux. Does that sound to you like the sort of vague patent claims made by Microsoft in regards to its recent patent deals with Novell and with Xandros? It does to me.
What makes this even odder is that, according to the exhibit, Microsoft and Sun also paid for UnixWare rights, and incidental rights to the older UNIX System V source code. Since they had paid for the rights to use Unix, why should they also be paying SCO not to sue them for the use of Linux?
My conclusion, then, as now, is that both companies were paying for SCO to attack IBM and Linux. It's difficult for me to see it in any other light. Both companies, after all, already had licenses to use SCO's Unix and IP. "
Nowhere does the exhibit explain in any detail exactly what SCO IP was hidden within Linux. Does that sound to you like the sort of vague patent claims made by Microsoft in regards to its recent patent deals with Novell and with Xandros? It does to me.
What makes this even odder is that, according to the exhibit, Microsoft and Sun also paid for UnixWare rights, and incidental rights to the older UNIX System V source code. Since they had paid for the rights to use Unix, why should they also be paying SCO not to sue them for the use of Linux?
My conclusion, then, as now, is that both companies were paying for SCO to attack IBM and Linux. It's difficult for me to see it in any other light. Both companies, after all, already had licenses to use SCO's Unix and IP. "
Looks like GoDaddy is parking boycottsun.com!"
