02.20.08
SCO and Microsoft: Where Things Stand
Linux.com has just summarised the recent affairs that we covered here about SCO’s latest cash injection [1, 2]. I’m fortunate enough to have received a mention among titans like PJ and Jim Zemlin.
Datamation’s Roy Schestowitz notes that for a company with such a troubled and checkered past, it’s a mystery why anyone would want to come forward and help rescue it from certain death. “Why would anyone invest in SCO?” he asks. “More importantly, why now?”
Groklaw’s Jones may have an answer. She suggests a connection between the new investors and Microsoft’s Bill Gates.
In the end, though, all the hype may be just that — hype. Jim Zemlin, executive director of The Linux Foundation, says all the theories and conjecture are just navel-gazing. In fact, he says the whole story is nothing more than “a speculator picking the bones of a defunct company. The facts of the SCO case haven’t changed; the Linux industry is stronger than ever.”
For those who have not seen the latest update from Groklaw, here is the bit to keep an eye on and make a mental note of.
Update: It seems Bill Gates has a friend in this picture. The two announced another deal last year, according to this IHT article, “Four Seasons Hotels agrees to bid from Gates and Alwaleed”:
Gates and Alwaleed have collaborated for at least two years. After attending a dinner at Gates’s home in Bellevue, Washington, in early 2004, Alwaleed agreed to explore ways to assist Microsoft’s expansion in Saudi Arabia.
So, there’s Waldo.
We shall see what else Groklaw can come up with. That’s where the SCO gurus are. █
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.