[TriLUG] SCO shows Linux code to analysts

[Scott G. Hall]

On 10 Jun 2003 16:49:10 Roy Vestal <rvestal at trilug.org> wrote:

>>From LinuxWorld:
>
>SCO shows Linux code to analysts
>SCO is taking its case against Linux and IBM on the road
>Jun 10, 2003
>        Summary
>        Last week, the company began showing code to U.S. analysts that,
>        it claims, prove that the source code to the Linux operating
>        system contains sections of code lifted directly from SCO's Unix
>        code base. 
>
>http://www.linuxworld.com/go.cgi?id=742512
>  
>

I read the article, and find their case vary nebulous.  They are trying to
go back to a 1986 agreement IBM made with AT&T, but this agreement became
null and void.  When SCO bought code base from Novell, they then proceeded
to create Xopen and make the System-V code public domain.  Anything a part
of the resulting OpenUNIX -- such as the contending SMB code -- no longer
can be part of the contract.  The fact that snippets of code in the Sys-V
line are in the Linux line could have come from a multitude of sources:
Lucent Bell Labs, Novell and SCO themselves all contributed to Linux in the
contended areas of code.  To try to put this on "deep pockets IBM" is
ludicrous.

-- 
Scott G. Hall,
Raleigh, NC, USA
ScottGHall at BellSouth.Net