USENIX Letter to Congress Refuting SCO's Letter (Groklaw)

Posted Feb 27, 2004 19:51 UTC (Fri) by ccchips (guest, #3222) [Link]

I think that USENIX was really addressing all the legistlators, while SCO was targeting those legislators who believe that free boat-rides are more important than free societies.

Posted Feb 28, 2004 9:14 UTC (Sat) by jimmo (guest, #19856) [Link]

Each time the Red Cross distributates a blanket to a hurricane victim or CARE
provides a bowl of rice to a starving child it "displaces or pre-empts a sale ". Thus
both of these organization are theats to the blanket and food industry and should
be immediately outlawed. Helping people by providing something for free
because you want to is bad for economy and un-American. Thanks for pointing
that out to us, Mr. McBride.

Posted Feb 28, 2004 10:33 UTC (Sat) by chel (guest, #11544) [Link]

It is nice Usenix, a well respected institute that worked hard to promote and extent Unix for a long time, makes a clear statement of support.

In the paragraph: SCO specifically argues that open source software "has the potential to provide our nation's enemies or potential enemies with computing capabilities that are restricted by U.S. law." I think Usenix missed the point the Linux is not US software. It has its roots outside the US, further building has be done worldwide. How could a product like this ever be restricted by US export regulations. Most of it should comply US import regulations, not US export regulations.

Posted Mar 1, 2004 9:02 UTC (Mon) by Aguila (guest, #19832) [Link]

It is really, really odd to see one matter where the Corporate and public interest come together; but this is certainly one. The GPL, if it is anything at all, is the union of individual inventors/creators in producing useful and viable projects we all use. During the era when the majority of society were villages, nobody thought seriously long at charging for the local spring. The concept of costs became clearer as the effort to convey clean water became harder and more essential. Our society is at that point again where nearly everyone has access to computers and a phone line the way every has access to a running faucet.

And even though few around the country have access to water as clear and fresh as NYC water is purported to be (versus bottled or other waters found throughout the country or the world) they have useable clean water from a faucet. Likewise for power, at least in the US, power is a flick of a local switch - a matter of course provided as a necessity in every house, and apartment. Where-ever is power, there can a computer be, even if the power is solar. Access via wireless "hot" spots, or phone means something we've never had before, as a society. Access from nearly anywhere nearly anytime, for work or for personal reasons. Open source code, in our time, is the equivalent of the paper clip or post-it note or nail in past eras.
SCO is trying to stop everyone and claim they own core Open Source code; gee why isn't someone trying to collect on the knowledge of the flint stone or the construction of an obsidian axe!

Anyway isn't that claim defunct yet, wasn't that code which SCO claims is theirs written out of GPL Linux kernels already? Or are they digging up something else because they haven't come up with anything new or current?
Goes to show you the class clown always shows up somewhere, maybe all the class clowns are at SCO and they need career guidance to find Comedy Standup? Coming to think of it, if they couldn't find that on their own they are about at the idiot level already anyway. They could be safely reassigned to the Post Office though.

O, I forgot, not yet -- we got to get rid of the prime and first "wannabe" warrior idiot in the White House before he finds just the right button to blow up the planet just out of spite in attempting to prove that he "is so" a tough guy.