If you like this, please visit Drew's website. My favorite quote:

"Not Everybody Likes Freedom"

This post was lifted from the Linux Elitists mailing list.

Willy Smith reporting from Costa Rica

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SCO Woes III: 6 weeks later. I still can't buy a license from SCO.
by Drew

It has been six weeks since my initial contact with SCO regarding getting
a license for my Linux appliance server business, and SCO's apathy towards
the sale is as great as it ever was. If I didn't know any better, I'd say
their sales department now has a well orchestrated circle of runarounds
to keep you from actually pinning anybody down.

I left off my last letter in this series with a phone call to my friendly
sales rep who had promised to call me back within days.

I never received a call back from that rep, and left them a couple more
friendly messages asking for information to no avail.

Feeling left out in the cold, I called the SCO main sales line and
asked to be routed to a sales person who could help me with buying Linux
server licenses. I was routed to a regional sales rep, whose voicemail
got a polite request for information, again with no response.

I called the main SCO sales line again and told them that I _really_
needed to talk to someone about a sale, as I was ready to purchase, and
couldn't find anyone to take my money. I was routed to _another_ sales
rep in my area, and since he was of course not immediately available,
I left another voicemail. This one at least called back. He didn't have
any Linux license information for me, but took my questions (including
"how can I buy this now?") and promised me a callback. Sound familiar?

I didn't receive a callback with any answers, but I did receive an
email from this new rep telling me that the _original_ person I had
talked to would be contacting me within a couple days with answers.

It has been 6 days since my latest broken promise from SCO, and I'm
really not wondering why they are a doomed company, with the way they
treat their potential customers.

Once again, I have called that original SCO rep and requested information
and a followup on my original questions. This was all on voicemail of
course, since actually getting a SCO rep on the phone is apparently a task
worthy of a congressional medal.

I have a request of Linux (or really any) news organizations. Find two
or three of your best reporters and have them try, in the nicest way
possible, to buy a Linux license from SCO. I'm having absolutely
terrible luck, despite my most gracious attempts, to throw money at SCO
(in return, of course, for the famed license).

I can't believe that a sales force is this incompetent, or instead of
that possibility, that SCO could be so blatantly outright in their lying
about license availability.

Darl, reading this? Sell me a license. If it is in fact available, fire
your sales force for incompetence.

-drew