SCO takes on the Feds

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The SCO Group, the company that's hoping to profit from its assertion that Linux violates its Unix intellectual property, has threatened legal action against two federal supercomputer users, letters released Thursday show.

SCO sent letters raising the prospect of legal action for using Linux to two Department of Energy facilities, the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and the National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center (NERSC).

The letter to NERSC director Horst Simon used strong language in its effort to convince the research facility to buy a license that will let it use Linux without fear of SCO legal action.

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Full Article [ here ]

I don't really follow the whole SCO nonsense very closely, but this seems to be their dumbest move yet. Even Microsoft trys to stay in the good graces of the federal government, so what makes McBride and the rest of the SCO team think they can openly threaten them and actually get away with it? I guess the idea of getting a massive payout from the feds for all the various clusters they own was too good to pass up since it would further finance their waste of time against Linux and annoying/bullying everyone. Maybe thier next target will be NSA clusters used for whatever the NSA does in its basements?

Now if they are really dumb, they will go after the IRS. :rofl: I wonder how many time they would get audited for that.

You know, it's not even the fact that SCO sent them a letter (and evidentally someone's cap key was stuck) since they flooded a lot of people with those letters. It's this statement at the end of the article that made me go... A$$HOLES:

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"Free or low-cost open-source software, full of proprietary code, is grabbing an increasing portion of the software market. Each open-source installation displaces or pre-empts a sale of proprietary, licensable and copyright-protected software," McBride said in a letter, republished by the Open Source and Industry Alliance. "This means fewer jobs, less software revenue and reduced incentives for software companies to innovate."

"We are firm in our belief that the unchecked spread of open-source software, under the GPL (the General Public License covers Linux and many other open-source programs), is a much more serious threat to our capitalist system than U.S. corporations realize," McBride said.

At the same time that SCO is attacking the U.S. government for its use of Linux supercomputers, it argues that those same types of machines can be used by military enemies.

"Open-source software--available widely through the Internet--has the potential to provide our nation's enemies or potential enemies with computing capabilities that are restricted by U.S. law," McBride said. "A computer expert in North Korea who has a number of personal computers can download the latest version of Linux...and in short order build a virtual supercomputer."

SCO sent the letter to every member of the Senate and House of Representatives, said Blake Stowell, a SCO spokesman.

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Excuse me. So. Shall we just kill all innovation in favour of closed source applications? How will that help with jobs? Last time I checked there were quite a few jobs created because of open source and some pretty successful companies have done well because of it. Just ask Snort, TripWire, Redhat, Suse, MySQL, etc. (those are the ones that come to mind right away).

And it helps our enemies? So the fact that we send CNN crews with military to tell about where the units are isn't a threat?! What kind of backwards argument is this? Geez. This has to be the most moronic thing I've ever seen. The reality is that both open source and close source bring issues and risks with them. But they also bring the opportunity of development. And specifically, open source does this. Many times closed source won't take the risk unless there is an associated $$$ benefit. Someone in the open source environment sees that something needs to exist and thus creates it (SATAN is a good example). As the saying goes, Necessity is the mother of all invention. If many of the open source developers hadn't taken the risks, the advancements in computers and specifically, IMHO, security, wouldn't exist.


And the world would be in a far more dangerous situation than it is right now.

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Each open-source installation displaces or pre-empts a sale of proprietary, licensable and copyright-protected software," McBride said in a letter, republished by the Open Source and Industry Alliance. "This means fewer jobs, less software revenue and reduced incentives for software companies to innovate.

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gotta love it. By his logic then, the automobile industry should be dead. The internal
combustion engine is not under any patent, yet capitalistic businesses make
millions from building engines. Baking bread is not a proprietary technology,
but bakers still seem to make a profit.

The only time you have a right to own a proprietary product is if you
invented it. The last time I checked, SCO has invented nothing.
:cool:

SCO sucks balls.

Nothing better than a smack to the face to make Uncle Sam happy? They purchased the license to sue, that was the only reason. They are going to screw themselves twice.

-Cheers-

Hey guys I don't know if you have gotten this yet, but SCO just sent me a letter. Yeah I will just let you guys read it

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Dear Mr. Banda,

Free or low-cost blinking, full of eye closing, is grabbing an increasing portion of the optical moistening market. Each unpaid blink displaces or pre-empts a sale of proprietary, licensable and copyright-protected blink. This means fewer jobs, less blink revenue and reduced incentives for companies who innovate with blinking.

We are firm in our belief that the unchecked spread of blinking, under the GBF (the General Body Functions covers blinking and many other bodily functions), is a much more serious threat to our capitalist system than U.S. corporations realize.

Free Blinking--available widely through the world--has the potential to provide our nation's enemies or potential enemies with blinking capabilities that are restricted by U.S. law. A blinking expert in North Korea who has a number of blinking variations can wink out the latest version of blinking...and in short order destroy the world as he sees fit like that girl from Wichhunter Robin.

In short, Mr. Banda, gives us money now or we are going to smash out the windows of your car. Thank you and have an awful day!

SCO

(Super Capitalist Orginization)

P.S. If you would like to address us in person, just come down to our headquarters, just be sure to bring money.

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P.S. If you would like to address us in person, just come down to our headquarters, just be sure to bring money.

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Ha ha! Lets all get baseball bats and go visit....then see what they do :)

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SCO sucks balls.

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Correct, but an inferior pair, not mine!

They have disclosed information about classified sites...........treason?, espionage?......

Over here they would be pissing in their pants................11 years in high security is the minimum,
and even my good friend Bubba has a positive security vetting :D

I would recommend either dump the stock right now, or wait for it to go into the "penny" listings?

Cheers

Honestly, who the hell does SCO think they are? Buy a liscense to use free software, or we'll sue you. Isn't that called Racketeering? If the federal goverment is going to back down on this, then they might as well just declare open season on organized crime! Pay for something that is free....Hmmm....when did the U.S turn in to 1960's russia?


slick

Hi Slick,

You mean you think that SCO might stand for "Soviet Communist Operation"?.............hmmmm..........I never thought of that :)

I still think that they are playing on thin ice............if you "know" what is used on a high security site, then you supplied under contract.............if not, they just broke our laws by revealing classified information...........C'mon you guys..............do them for it!!!!....

OK make of this what you will:

"Scotland Yard reported last night that thieves had broken into #10 Downing Street (sort of our 1600 Pennysylvania Avenue) and stole three of our Prime Minister's books. Unconfirmed reports suggest that he was most displeased, as he hadn't finished colouring in two of them yet"

I guess the knock will come around 0.300Hrs our time?

It has been nice knowing you (but I suggest that you deny it)

:D

Cheers folks

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Originally posted here by MsMittens
You know, it's not even the fact that SCO sent them a letter (and evidentally someone's cap key was stuck) since they flooded a lot of people with those letters. It's this statement at the end of the article that made me go... A$$HOLES:



Excuse me. So. Shall we just kill all innovation in favour of closed source applications? How will that help with jobs? Last time I checked there were quite a few jobs created because of open source and some pretty successful companies have done well because of it. Just ask Snort, TripWire, Redhat, Suse, MySQL, etc. (those are the ones that come to mind right away).

And it helps our enemies? So the fact that we send CNN crews with military to tell about where the units are isn't a threat?! What kind of backwards argument is this? Geez. This has to be the most moronic thing I've ever seen. The reality is that both open source and close source bring issues and risks with them. But they also bring the opportunity of development. And specifically, open source does this. Many times closed source won't take the risk unless there is an associated $$$ benefit. Someone in the open source environment sees that something needs to exist and thus creates it (SATAN is a good example). As the saying goes, Necessity is the mother of all invention. If many of the open source developers hadn't taken the risks, the advancements in computers and specifically, IMHO, security, wouldn't exist.


And the world would be in a far more dangerous situation than it is right now.

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Hey,

I agree with you their MsMittens. Who the hell does SCO think they are?

Anways, just my two cents.

EDIT:
spelling

This paragraph really annoys me, Linux was created in Finland, thus "U.S" Law doesn't apply as such, Darl is implying that the rest of the world should follow US law.
Just more BS from darl.

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"Open-source software--available widely through the Internet--has the potential to provide our nation's enemies or potential enemies with computing capabilities that are restricted by U.S. law," McBride said. "A computer expert in North Korea who has a number of personal computers can download the latest version of Linux...and in short order build a virtual supercomputer."

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Seriously, is America the only place that is allowed to have technology? Didn't the cold war end? What does SCO want everyone else in the world to run on their PCs--Win 3.1?

Their greed is just beyond me. I bet they would take money from charity boxes as well.
Oh yeah, if you guys see any reps from SCO, tell them I saw a 5 year old walking around with a dollar hanging out of his pocket.

Are they serious i mean why don't we move that letter to the joke section of this forum i nearly fell of my chair laughing.

I love that this Korean super villain can't download any cracked commercial software out there he apparently is so law abiding that he will only use open source software to overthrow the us government.

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Open-source software--available widely through the Internet--has the potential to provide our nation's enemies or potential enemies with computing capabilities that are restricted by U.S. law," McBride said. "A computer expert in North Korea who has a number of personal computers can download the latest version of Linux...and in short order build a virtual supercomputer."

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Sorry took me a while to stop laughing before I could post.
I am agree with MS Mittens on this. Where the first part of the artical makes a warped kind of sense giving what they are already doing. They may or may not have an american copyright to some little DLL used on certain linux systems. The letter sent to the senators is nothing more than a poor attempt to gain a scrap more publicity. Anyone with an ounce of sense can see the arguments used make no sense at all. I am going to stop there as I can feel an anti SCO rant coming on.
Anyway for anyone who hasnt really followed this from the start, like me, here is a link to one of the original SCO storys. Its dated january 14 2003. To find information from before that date you need to look for Caldera.

SCO fees may hit some Linux users

From fees hitting some linux users to sueing IBM for 3 billion is a fair jump.

edit true the korean supervillian isnt much of a supervillian if he cant download hacked software from the net.

to Lansing:
you might be on to something :D

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/AS...529579-8445635 when SCO find this, there will be hell to pay !!

I have to add that the majority of this thread has gone straight over my head. And the more I read from the links and thread the more something strikes me as not right, and I don't mean that there is something wrong, I mean that something seems to have fritzed in the collective mindset of SCO, and you are saying that they seem intent on attacking? even more unlikely opponents (I did 'get' the IRS one)

and as for getting them when they are young ??

http://bbspot.com/News/2003/08/sco.html

Google gave me 1.78 MILLION hits, and all I wanted was some background.

edit< thanx 2 Muracu for that link, still not getting it though :confused: >end edit

The sad part is most politicians will fall for the bull as will most of the uneducated/uninformed public. We will of course need new laws to deal with this serious threat.

This whole SCO thing is sounding more and more like a bad episode of Jerry Springer. ;) Everytime I hear about them they are doing something stupid, but they are still getting millions in license revenue. Businesses need to wise up and not pay the license fees.

OK, as an American I would like to say the SCO is not supoprted or liked. They do not represent me, and the do in fact suck balls. As was stated earlier. They are a fanatical rogue corporation and since they are taking on the government I hope someone takes notice and slaps their silly asses down to the pavement.

I totally agree with MsMittens and others, except the point of SCO trying to state there is a viable threat to security is mistaken or taken out of context. The threat of supercomputing is not troop movements or CNNs ability to connect to a satelite and show rockets going off in Bagdad. It's the accurate modeling of atomic fission and more critical, the avionic and guidence systems that would deliver the BOOM.

having said that, Linux is a world wide operation. It won't be shut down unless the EU and Canada, and China, and Russia all cave. Not going to happen and SCO can LMB.

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I totally agree with MsMittens and others, except the point of SCO trying to state there is a viable threat to security is mistaken or taken out of context. The threat of supercomputing is not troop movements or CNNs ability to connect to a satelite and show rockets going off in Bagdad. It's the accurate modeling of atomic fission and more critical, the avionic and guidence systems that would deliver the BOOM.

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And what stops them from using closed software for the same goal? It's not whether or not it's Open Source that causes it, but rather the ethics and ability of others. Who says they haven't got their own OS doing the same thing that Linux or Microsoft or any other OS manufacturer would do?

Personally I think it's an arrogant statement period by them and a false assumption that if you kill Open Source then you will ensure that "bad governments" won't develop faster jets or bigger "BOOM BOOM sticks".

Nothing is to stop them. But you can argue that open source linux is faster, FREE, and easier to build for scientific applications vs. Microsoft. I am not arguing it's validity, it's stupid. Just pointing out where they are coming from by touting that supercomputers based on linuz open source projects are a national security threat to the west. SCO tactics border on fanatical. My assumption is that their actions are based on greed vs. common sense. Besides linux isn't and American "export"

This entire thing just reminds me of the Amazon.com 1-click order patient and their lawsuit against Barnes and Nobel.

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Originally posted here by souleman
This entire thing just reminds me of the Amazon.com 1-click order patient and their lawsuit against Barnes and Nobel.

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Except Barnes and Nobel aren't trying to charge us for looking at google.com free on the internet because they are losing money on "http://www.google.com" in book form ;)