I just pray that the Higher Power above will protect us Linux and open source users from the evil machinations of the Evil Empire and the blood-sucking pirates in the poisoned waters of the patent ocean.

The Evil Empire has already made its intentions clear as it extends its tentacles through "patent" agreements with various companies that rely on the Internet. All this gives a whole new meaning to playing dirty and hitting low.

Read the whole rotten smelly story at Groklaw.net

This is the ultimate example of the misuse of software patents. SCO did not even have a case in the beginning, but that did not stop "the man behind the curtain" -- being B. Gates and then S. Ballmer -- from funnelling money into the case (via Baystar and others) in an attempt to destroy their new "business chum" Novell (and try and attack the bulletproof Linux at the same time). With "friends" like these, Novell (and IBM) need no enemies.

Microsoft is a master of manipulation and the low blow. Novell has had to spend millions that it cannot afford defending itself from this SCO zombie that keeps being reanimated by sly infusions of funds. What we are left with is a blood-spattered, evil puppet that Microsoft publicly ignores but continues to use to attack open source (aka Bill Gates' 2006 comment: "Is SCO still around? Are they still viable?"). The man is a liar.

I do hope the table is turned, and someone somewhere has a look at Microsoft's closed-source code to see how much of it infringes upon or directly copies code taken from the GPL'd open source that Ballmer and Co. hate so much (perhaps for this very reason). They already were forced to stop selling Office for awhile, and things could get a lot worse for Microsoft (especially with the combination of IBM's, Novell's, and the GPL software patent/licensing portfolio working against Microsoft).

If this ongoing aggression would just stop (including Microsoft's own direct FUD campaign against Linux), then perhaps things could calm down, but I don't see this happening. Microsoft is too aggressive and will probably not stop acting this way until we see a massive "nuclear option" software patent war erupt (and Microsoft is the party that has the most to lose in the end).

...theft.

SCOXQ has gone up 8-fold since October!
You have to ask yourself: WTF?!