[TUHS] IANAL. Kimball has ruled

[gerberb@zenez.com (Boyd Lynn Gerber)]

On Thu, 17 Jul 2008, Jose R. Valverde wrote:
> I have to change my opinion on SCO to consider them now UNIX zealots. As 
> I read it, I guess Sun was worried by possibly non-ATT code in SVRX, and 
> may be by Novell's assertions, so they shielded themselves: if I'm not 
> wrong that means OpenSolaris is safe and the responsibility for that 
> relies totally on SCO.
> 
> SCO thus was willing to take any risks regarding third parties with 
> respect to opening up SVRX derived Solaris. That was very bold and 
> valiant (though seeminglymay be wrong) from them. Why they decided to 
> allow open sourcing via Sun instead of Unixware is their choice. I guess 
> they thought it would play better for them to sell a 'closed' Unixware 
> as an 'enhanced' or 'better product' than open solaris. It also fits 
> within Caldera's previous opening other ancient UNIX.
> 
> My guess is they were for opening SVRX as a way to increase market share 
> of UNIX against LINUX but preferred Sun to open _their_ version instead 
> of opening SCO's own. At the same time they must have thought that a 
> combined attack on Linux would drive most people off Linux towards 
> opensource UNIX and that corporate interests would prefer SCO's closed 
> Unixware to Sun's open source solution in line with tradition.

Caldera/SCO was trying to get everything opensourced.  They released 
OpenUNIX 8.0 which was UnixWare 7.1.2.  They had reached an agreement with 
every one and were about to release everything a the big expo in Jan/Feb 
east cost.  It was to be a joint IBM/SCO announcement, when IBM suddenly 
decided against it and were addamanly now doing everything to stop it.  
IBM was the "big bad guy".  What I never could understand is how the roles 
got reversed and IBM the anti opensource and SCO the pro opensource 
changed places.  I was working with both groups and could not understand 
why IBM was being such a big pain.  Shortly after it came the SCO law 
suit.  I thought it was going to be about IBM renigging on making things 
OpenSOURCE.  I really can not understand just how the roles were changed 
so much.  It was my understanding that the SUN deal was to add to the big 
change and making things better for UNIX in general.  

I am grateful to SCO for their attempt to make UnixWare/OpenUNIX 
opensource.  I just wish it had succedded.

--
Boyd Gerber <gerberb at zenez.com>
ZENEZ	1042 East Fort Union #135, Midvale Utah  84047