> I detect a strong sense of "someone" whispering in SCO's ear. > (that someone probably being Microsoft).
I like to speculate every now and then and here's what I've come up with. Think about for Sun for a minute. Personally I think they're playing both sides off against the middle. Remember, they've always tried to sell Slowlaris (for Intel and SPARC) as the more stable, reliable, and mature enterprise solution. Sun also has a sizable financial stake in SCO (i.e. major shareholder). Looking back, SCO indicated Sun was paid-up and in the clear right from the start of this debacle. This latest bit fits into that scenario quite neatly. Even though it's a different tack, Sun again has little or no obstacles. I think Sun's recent "embracing" of Linux is a result of Sun trying to desperately hang on to its dwindling market, in short because it has to. It needs a Linux position in case SCO fails (which it likely will). But wait, it gets better. SUSE is what Sun's Linux Distro is based on. Sun didn't show up on SCO's anti-Linux Radar because SUSE is a member of United Linux, as is Caldera (aka SCO). SUSE has basically been in the clear for some time now as a result of this relationship. Good tactical choice, but a little _too_ convenient for my liking. If this were indeed the scenario, Novell's SUSE acquisition could be seen an beautiful strategic move. I wouldn't be surprised if Sun had hoping to do the same, and Novell may have just beat them to the punch (with IBM's help...). In the end IBM indirectly supported Novell's SUSE Purchase, so I wouldn't be surprised if IBM was behind them doing so. Nice move at any rate. In the end, the part I see most telling is that no matter what happens here, Sun is in a position to benefit. SCO also first went after IBM, a big hardware vendor...just like Sun. If SCO looses, they keep pushing Linux, if SCO wins (I can't imagine how) they'll be better positioned to play in the Linux market or keep pushing Solaris. It could also slow IBM down enough for Sun to catch up in the Linux race (which might help make up for them dropping the ball when they did). Instead of looking at SCO as solely a stock scam (which it may be in the end), I'm starting to see it playing a big role in clearing the road for Sun while at the same time acting to slow down IBM and prevent any other big players from emerging. As long as SCO exists, it allows Sun to build strength at everyone else's expense (or at least that would appear to be the plan). This latest step with Homeland security smacks of desperation. It is a rationale based on fear, nothing logic of coherent anymore. Americans are in physical and financial danger because of open source software? Please, I hope they don't declare a national emergency. Marcel ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- This communication is intended for the use of the recipient to which it is addressed, and may contain confidential, personal, and or privileged information. Please contact us immediately if you are not the intended recipient of this communication, and do not copy, distribute, or take action relying on it. Any communication received in error, or subsequent reply, should be deleted or destroyed. _______________________________________________ clug-talk mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://clug.ca/mailman/listinfo/clug-talk_clug.ca
