Contributory Infringement [LWN.net]

Contributory Infringement

Posted Jan 29, 2003 18:53 UTC (Wed) by brugolsky (✭ supporter ✭, #28)
Parent article: SCOsource and Linux

SCO's immediate assertion is that some folks are illegally using
SCO libs on Linux.

Red Hat has dumped linux-abi from their kernel (allegedly because
it is unmaintained); this conveniently sidesteps charges of contributory
infringement.

A few years ago, running SCO binaries mattered to a lot of people, but
I can't imagine that more than a handful of shops care anymore. Linux
is rapidly becoming the ABI standard. :-)

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SCO is still a contender...

Posted Jan 29, 2003 19:59 UTC (Wed) by erat (guest, #21) [Link]

Just look at the number of high profile installations of OpenServer and you'll see that "SCO binaries" are still hot. Lots of companies are dipping their toes in the Linux pool, but the McDonalds/BMW/Nasdaqs (to name a few) of the world are still heavily invested in UNIX. Migration to Linux is not a simple thing to do when your company covers the planet. By dropping support for Linux-ABI, migration from SCO OSes to Linux just became that much more expensive. It costs a hell of a lot less to license libraries than it does to port/debug existing "SCO binaries", especially considering the nasty fragmentation that Linux distributors STILL embrace (the fools...).

Let's not let our endearment of Linux cloud our judgement... SCO operating systems are probably running more Fortune 100 businesses than Linux.