10.26.07
The Latest ”Next SCO” Targets UNIX, Not Linux
NetApp would be (at leasr) the fourth company that gets compared to SCO, but Matt Aslett seems comfortable enough drawing such a comparison, based on interpretation by SCO experts.
Meanwhile PJ has announced that Groklaw is officially following the case and she has a few questions she’d like to ask NetApp.
So it would appear that NetApp is now the next SCO in the eyes of many, whether is wants to be or not. Is there anything the company could do to avoid such a fate?
With Sun Solaris on the hot seat, this is somewhat intriguing. It’s almost like a reversal of roles. Recall our suspicion that Microsoft approached Sun to ask for lawsuits against Linux.
Speaking of Linux lawsuits and patents, the following quick report about Concurrent Computer reveals some interesting details.
The results for the first quarter of 2008 got a $1.9 million boost from a settlement with Vicor and $1.4 million boost from a patent settlement with C-COR.
Concurrent Computer is in the Linux business, so the involvement of a patent settlement is mind-boggling. Whose attention has this received (if anyone’s)?
Highlight: Novell was the first to acknowledge that Microsoft FUD tactics had substance. Novell then used anti-Linux FUD to market itself. 
Highlight: Xandros let Microsoft make patent claims and brag about (paid-for) OOXML support. 
Highlight: Linspire's CEO not only fell into Microsoft arms, but he also assisted the company's attack on GNU/Linux. 
Highlight: Microsoft craves pseudo (proprietary) standards and gets its way using proxies and influence which it buys. 
Highlight: The invasion into the open source world is intended to leave Linux companies neglected, due to financial incentives from Microsoft. 
Analysis: Xen, an open source hypervisor, possibly fell victim to Microsoft's aggressive (and stealthy) acquisition-by-proxy strategy.