Microsoft licensing unix code
Posted on cnet:
According to a statement from Microsoft, the company will license SCO's Unix patents and the source code. That code is at the heart of a $1 billion lawsuit between SCO and IBM, which is aggressively pushing Linux as an alternative to Windows in corporate back shops.
Hm.. this will not end well.
Comments
Of course, the only reason they are doing this is to show up all the Linux/Free/OSS companies. Microsoft has always viewed such people & companies as disrespectful, warez dudez. From the tone of the article (at least the parts pertaining to MS's licensing) it's presented as Microsoft setting the example in proper licensing.
Posted by: Tzicha | May 19, 2003 08:39 AM
Actually, that's not the nightmare scenario.
The nightmare scenario is that with this uncertainty hanging over the linux kernel that Microsoft BUYS SCO outright, and uses their considerable warchest to sue the bejeezus out of a couple prominent 'non-compliant folks' (say, Red Hat, SuSE, and maybe one or two medium-name Linux users, big enough to have name recognition but small enough to not be able to defend themselves well).
Posted by: Derek | May 19, 2003 09:16 AM
Derek, actually that's where I believe this is heading.. They're probably trying not to be too obvious.
(Yes, I am paranoid)
Posted by: kasia | May 19, 2003 11:09 AM
So Microsoft will end up buying back some of their own code. They [MS] developed Xenix back in the early 1980s, which was SCO's main product for a long time. Microsoft has been involved in UNIX longer than most.
Posted by: Steve Friedl | May 19, 2003 11:20 AM
Microsoft getting ready to go for the kill. We're gonna have to hit 'em with everything we got if they decide to go after us...
Posted by: Techie2000 | May 19, 2003 03:25 PM
>Microsoft getting ready to go for the kill.
>We're gonna have to hit 'em with everything
>we got if they decide to go after us...
And what is it that you have, exactly?
Posted by: dave | May 25, 2003 02:39 PM
"So Microsoft will end up buying back some of their own code. They [MS] developed Xenix back in the early 1980s, which was SCO's main product for a long time. Microsoft has been involved in UNIX longer than most."
Microsoft did -not- develop Xenix.
Xenix was based on code licensed from System 7 UNIX. AT&T licensed this code to numerous companies who made comercial operating systems from it. Xenix is only one example.
Posted by: Quintin | July 27, 2003 12:45 AM