Xunil

So Novell has won over SCO in court today, with plenty of coverage as expected. But less has changed today than most people think.

SCO's case against IBM is dead, and its case against Novell is dead. Novell's case against SCO has just passed stage one, and still has leeway to sue others.

I'd been asked by someone if this meant that SCO would finally give up in court, or risk opening a pandora's box that would allow Novell to go after more than the $2.5M it was awarded today.

To me the answer seems obvious.

This article was first published in July 1998 on my website.

The rapid growth of Linux, which has come out of nowhere to become the fastest growing non-Microsoft operating system, has taken many by surprise:

• Journalists, who are supposed to keep their eye on the industry, have to cope with an OS that lacks a PR firm, yet boasts an army of articulate and zealous advocates who will eagerly pounce on a writer's ignorance.
  
• Software vendors looking for markets to sell to, have no idea whether Linux is as good a market as some say, or as bad as others claim.