sco:ibm lawsuit

[Gary Layng]

On April 7, 2006 23:54, Alex Beamish wrote:

> What SCO didn't count on was 1) a very active open source community popping
> up and tracking the lawsuit[2] and generally tearing their arguments to
> shreds and 2) a willing opponent not at all in the mood for a settlement.
>
> Linux is providing IBM with lots of business -- and IBM doesn't want
> anything to harm that business. So, it's a business decision to fight this
> case. Anyway, they don't want companies to get into the habit of suing them
> and getting piles of cash in a settlement. I expect IBM will either win
> their case or SCO will collapse, making the case moot.
>

Another thing that SCOX didn't count on was the fact that IBM would actually 
worry about how being accused of theft would affect their business.  They've 
been accused of criminal acts, and are defending their good name as the asset 
it is.  Companies hire IBM to store their data, how would you like to give 
the corporate equivalent to the family silver to a thief for safekeeping?

Microsoft, which has as valuable a "good name" as Jack the Ripper (how many 
moms name their kid "Jack the Ripper"?), screamed, "We confess (now tell us 
what the hell we did)!" and paid, knowing full well that the funds would be 
used to fund a FUD campaign against Linux.  I feel this easy early victory 
misled SCOX into thinking IBM would be almost as easy a pushover.

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