[olug] ARTICLE: IBM exec: 'Forces' at work against Linux

[Trent Melcher]

As if we all didnt already know this.  Just thought I would share the
article.

http://msnbc-cnet.com.com/2100-1016_3-5057840.html?part=msnbc-cnet&tag=alert
&form=feed&subj=cnetnews

IBM exec: 'Forces' at work against Linux


By Andrew Colley
Staff Writer, CNET News.com
July 30, 2003, 12:57 PM PT


An IBM executive has claimed that a "set of forces" is attempting to derail
Linux, and hinted that Microsoft and SCO Group are among those responsible.
Al Zollar, a general manager of sales for IBM eServer iSeries, told
delegates attending the company's Asia Pacific Strategic Planning Conference
in Queensland, Australia, on Tuesday that a "set of forces" was attempting
to stymie adoption of the open-source operating system.

"They're mostly located in Redmond, although they have recruited a few
allies," said Zollar. Microsoft has its headquarters in Redmond, Wash.



Zollar then indicated that SCO was part of the alliance. The company, based
in Lindon, Utah, has made intellectual property claims to certain code
contained in some versions of Linux and is maneuvering to gather license
fees from commercial applications of the operating system.

The Linux license program is the latest event arising out of a high-profile
legal dispute between SCO and IBM over Linux code. SCO claims that it has
intellectual property rights over portions of Unix code that Big Blue, among
others, misappropriated and incorporated into Linux source code. The company
alleges that the code was lifted directly from a version of Unix System V,
over which it has registered copyright.

IBM did not take the opportunity to elaborate on Zollar's statement.

Some industry analysts and open-source proponents claim that the SCO legal
dispute is a deliberate move to create uncertainty over the intellectual
property rights as applied to software applications developed in
collaboration.

Many Linux fans unhappy with SCO's actions have suggested Microsoft is
behind the attack on the open-source software. Although Microsoft announced
it had signed a deal for a new Unix license from SCO in May, it said it had
done so only in response to SCO's licensing request. The software giant has
denied other involvement in SCO's legal actions. SCO, meanwhile, has said
its plan is based on its own intellectual property, not on prompting from
Microsoft.

IBM has made clear its belief in the importance of Linux to its products and
server strategy.

The company, based in Armonk, N.Y., said Tuesday that it had witnessed 600
percent growth in the implementation of Linux in its iSeries midrange server
line throughout the Asia Pacific region. However, Big Blue added that the
operating system is not yet being used for core applications.

Zollar said Linux progress in the enterprise market was unstoppable, and he
described SCO's claims as "silly."

ZDNet Australia's Andrew Colley reported from Sydney. CNET News.com's
Stephen Shankland contributed to this report.





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