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  From: Alan Kennington <ak1.linuxsa@topology.org>
  To  : LinuxSA <linuxsa@linuxsa.org.au>
  Date: Wed, 23 Jul 2003 08:37:58 +0930

Re: [News] The End of free linux? what a load of ____________

On Wed, Jul 23, 2003 at 08:18:01AM +0930, Matthew Western wrote:
> With registered copyrights in hand, SCO has extended its litigation beyond
> IBM to include any user of Linux kernel 2.4 and beyond. SCO will offer an as
> yet unpriced license for a run-only version of UnixWare 7.1.3 to get legal.
> You have to wonder how SCO can ask for compensation without providing
> defensible documentation to the public about the allegedly offending code.
> But, even if SCO succeeds with some of its claims, longer term Linux and
> open source will prevail.
> 
> http://techupdate.zdnet.com/techupdate/stories/main/0,14179,2914344,00.html


Matthew,

This whole SCO business is an example of how linux is becoming a bigger and
bigger target for attacks by bad people as it becomes more popular.
This is why it would be best to keep linux adoption under 5%.
Otherwise I foresee a progressive deterioration of linux "freedom".
Remember that the mammals survived until about 62 million years ago
by being too small to be worth eating by the dinosaurs.
The advantage of being small is that no one wants to eat you.

I wouldn't be surprised at all if during the next year or two there will
be attacks against all kinds of hardware and protocol support in linux
on the basis of "sleeping patents". Remember that there are bad people
out there with dodgy patent portfolios out there who are looking for small
fry to toast first so as to get together a fighting fund to toast bigger fry.
Nowadays, even if you invent something yourself and implement it yourself
from scratch, you can still find 10 years later that someone else "owns"
your invention and you have to pay a licence for freely distributing your
own invention. Until IP law is cured of its current pathologies, linux and
other open source should keep their collective heads down. Why bite the
dinosaurs where it hurts while they're leaving us alone? Learn from SBS TV
and keep below 5% - then we can do what we like!
Open source should try to survive, not "prevail" [1].

CHeers,
Alan Kennington.

[1]  The US government seems to define "prevail" to mean "to obliterate
     thine enemies to little pieces".

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