The game is getting more complicated, but how much is real and how much is disinformation is anyone's guess. As you probably know by now, Friday the 13th of June is the deadline set by SCO in its dispute with IBM over the licensing of Unix code (IBM's version is called AIX). After this date,
SCO has threatened to revoke IBM's license. Lots of questions are still unanswered, however. For one thing, IBM claims their license is irrevocable. Note also that SCO has changed their tactics and views several times during the fray; Darl McBride, CEO of SCO, had said in March 'This case is not about the Linux community or us going after them'. Now, however, SCO has bared its corporate teeth and threatened Linux users; but the Linux community in several countries is responding agressively with countersuits against SCO.


There are also some legitimate questions about SCO's claims. SCO has in fact released its own versions of GPLed Linux code, which arguably nullifies their claims. Also, some believe that SCO has violated the GPL by incorporating source code from the Linux kernel into the Linux Kernel Personality feature found in SCO Unix without giving the changes back to the community or displaying copyright notices attributing the code to Linux. In addition, SCO shows on their own site incorporation of Linux code into the Unix kernel. - see the entry for 21-August-2000. There are plenty of other rumors which we won't repeat until there is some corroboration!


Microsoft has repeatedly shown that it is very threatened by Linux. One Microsoft memo covering this issue, called Halloween VIII on the OpenSource.org site, shows Microsoft trying to develop an emergency-response team to cope with Linux conversion announcements. Further memos have confirmed this concern at all levels of management. Microsoft has shown their insecurity about this again this week as they continue to try to change the Munich city council's mind about their recent pro-Linux decision (German) (Babelfish version). To Richard Seibt, CEO of SuSE, all this is simply evidence of the importance of Linux.



To those of us who are outside, and who can see the big picture, it really does seem like a horror flick: There are lots of gory scenes, and some casualties, but we still know who wins in the end. And we will still keep on using Linux.