Today is launch day for SCO's OpenServer(TM) 6, "a multi-year, multi-million dollar development effort that has produced a significant upgrade to SCO's flagship UNIX operating system." The press release is here. Heaven only knows we all hope they make enough money from this software that they wake up and see that litigation for profit isn't a viable business plan. But it's interesting who else is mentioned in the press release: HP, for one. Of course, they may feel they have little choice, if they want to support current customers, I suppose. But Dan Kuznetsky, program VP, Enterprise Computing Group, IDC, plugs it too: "As the flag bearer of the UNIX on Intel environment, it's encouraging to see the SCO Group continuing their development of SCO OpenServer," said Dan Kusnetzky, program vice president, System Software, Enterprise Computing Group, IDC. "Based on the performance and security improvements, as well as integration with many popular Open Source technologies now found in SCO OpenServer 6, the SCO Group has given its customers quite a number of reasons to upgrade and continue investing in the SCO OpenServer platform. SCO's focus on research and development of SCO OpenServer will allow customers to continue realizing the benefits of the reliability and stability of UNIX running on industry standard hardware." SCO's focus on research and development? He must have missed the last financials released. I believe that is what they cut back on. The financials they released showed a decline in research and development spending: for the three months ending April 2005= 2,117; for the three months ending April 2004= 2,868. But what really stands out is that a large part of what SCO is offering is Free and Open Source software: Built for AgilityIn addition to supporting numerous UNIX applications, as well as Java applications with the inclusion of Java 1.4.2, customers will also find thousands of additional applications available through many of the latest Open Source technologies that are integrated into SCO OpenServer 6. This includes the latest versions of the MySQL and PostgreSQL databases, Apache Web server, Mozilla browser, Tomcat Java servlet container, Samba file and print services, and many others.In addition, SCO OpenServer customers can use the familiar OpenServer desktop or use the KDE3-based desktop environment. SCO OpenServer 6 also supports the Firefox browser and OpenOffice suite of applications. I assume Darl McBride will now notify Congress that his earlier letter to them about FOSS destroying the software marketplace -- "Why would someone license UNIX code from SCO and other legitimate providers when they can get much of that same code, for free, in Linux?" -- and his "belief that the unchecked spread of Open Source software, under the GPL, is a much more serious threat to our capitalist system than U.S. corporations realize" was in error, and that in fact FOSS is now helping him keep SCO's hypocritical nose above water.
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