Suspected Microsoft chestnuts SCO shook Linux camp

"SCO has become increasingly aggressive in speech and refuses to show any evidence of the lawsuit, and everything seems to indicate that SCO is simply talking and speaking in the tiger's skin." But Microsoft will never give up such a good opportunity to use these raving words. "In 2003," to Linux to launch a "fear War"?　　Bruce Perens, author of Brousse Perence, evaluates SCO.　　In March 2003, SCO, the owner of a self-proclaimed UNIX operating system, filed a lawsuit against IBM for $1 billion, as SCO believes IBM has leaked its business secrets to open source Linux.　　May 15, 2003, SCO sent letters to about 1500 large companies around the world, warning these companies if they use Linux, they will assume legal responsibility.　　So how does Unix and Linux,sco get tangled up with IBM and Microsoft? Wind up Unix "You write the system is too bad, simply call UNICs forget."　　"One day in the late 60, Brain Konihan Brian Kernighan, of Bell Labs, told colleagues Ken Thompson. In English, UNICs pronunciation is the same as eunuchs (eunuch).　　Ken Thompson accepted his colleagues ' mockery and, after a little modification, called his system UNIX. Although the computers of the 60 's were no longer behemoths, the volume was still large, and the slow, stupid guys needed professional computer programmers. In order to improve efficiency, users need a new system. In this context, Ken Thompson and Dennis Litch of Bell Labs developed UNIX operating systems.　　At this point, jobs and gates were playing pranks in high school, and the PC and its Microsoft operating system were only beginning to show up 10 years later. Unix's two founders and Bell Labs did not take Unix too seriously, initially using it internally and not aggressively selling it. Later, universities, research institutions can use UNIX for free, and can also get the source code, so the UNIX source code is widely spread. During this time it did not have as much success as the commercial software of the future, and left a pile of holes and patches.　　Unix in the 10 years after the birth of "purdah", in the laboratory is fully used and demonstrated, which was later it in the stability, security requirements of the enterprise-class customers are the main reason.　　By the year 1980, Unix had begun to walk out of the lab, spread to universities and research institutions, and thousands of technical gurus trying to put Unix on the home machine. At this point, after the understanding of Bell Labs began to recognize the value of UNIX, but because the source code has been scattered, Bell Labs can not be collected to carry out fine commercial development, so simply take the mode of external authorization, research institutions can be used free of charge, enterprises need to pay authorization fees. There were a number of universities, research institutes andThe company got the authorization and started the evolution of the different versions. "Unix is the second most important invention after the transistor," said a senior executive at Bell. "In 1993, At&t, with Bell Labs, sold its UNIX assets to Novell.　　At this time, IBM, DEC, HP and Sun were authorized to continue their UNIX versions of development. Novell sold the UNIX assets to SCO in 1995. Unlike the fact that At&t sold UNIX to Novell on a one-time payment two years ago, the SCO did not have enough cash to pay off at the time, so Novell initially gave the UNIX source code and other data to SCO. There are vague and ambiguous places in the agreement for the ownership of UNIX copyrights.　　Many of the software cooperation agreements of that era seem ambiguous today. The SCO, which had spent money, considered itself an authentic descendant of Unix, and Novell had seen Unix as a chicken and had no objections.　　And SCO's voice was small, and SCO did not have access to other Unix-licensed manufacturers, so everyone entered a peaceful phase.　　Microsoft's access to and from Microsoft has a long history of relations with UNIX and has played an important role in the evolution of SCO. In 1979, Microsoft also received authorization from at&t to develop a UNIX operating system for Intel processors. Because Microsoft's purchase authorization cannot directly let the operating system be named "Unix", the system is named Xenix.　　Xenix can be used on PCs and microcomputers.　　Instead of selling XENIX directly to end customers, Microsoft is licensed to Intel, Tandy, Xerox and SCO in OEM form. Because Microsoft needs to get authorization from at&t, XENIX is an operating system that is difficult for Microsoft to grasp its future destiny, and rivals have many different versions of related software to disrupt the market. So Gates is looking for an opportunity to quit the field. When Microsoft and IBM reached an agreement to develop the powering operating system, gates lost interest in promoting Xenix. Historical data revealed that Microsoft was stepping on two ships, in addition to working with IBM to develop powering operating system, Microsoft is also in the midst of the Windows3.0 system research and development.　　Microsoft is unlikely to be able to devote energy at the same time on three lines, abandoning the XENIX operating system outright. In 1987, Microsoft and SCO reached an agreement to transfer the ownership of XENIX to 25% of the latter's shares. Interestingly, Microsoft is still using XENIX inside.　　The information shows that they have been used for 1992 years. From Microsoft's SCO Xenix, the operating system was ported to 386 PCs at the fastest speed. XenIX became the first operating system to support the Intel 386 chip, seizing the market's opportunities. At that time minicomputer and a variety of UNIX operating systems dominate the high-end enterprise user market, including the representative of IBM, DEC, HP, Sun, SGI, etc. intel chips plus Microsoft operating system, is full control of the PC market, including the representative manufacturers Compaq, AST, Bai de and so on.　　The faction of the minicomputer and Unix operating system despised the Wintel Alliance, which was formed by Intel chips and Microsoft's operating system, as crude, while the latter regarded the former as aging and stubborn. The role of SCO at this time is a bit like bats, non-bird non-beast, its operating mode is the Intel Chip plus UNIX operating system, between the two camps wandering.　　With the Gongchenglvede of Intel's chip computers, SCO also got a share of the pie.　　In the late 80, media outlets said Xenix was "probably the most widely spread UNIX operating system". SCO entered the most glorious period of its history. Of course, during this time, the development of UNIX also entered the golden period.　　In September 1984, Fortune magazine said that 80% of the computer-science professors in 750 universities worldwide were users of UNIX, so students from computer majors were exposed to UNIX and became it backbone after graduation. UNIX has a fatal flaw: There has never been a generic version. Because of the early chaos of the authorization, a variety of different versions of Unix are everywhere, so applications written for one version often have to be modified to apply to the other.　　This may not be a big problem for a professional programmer, but it adds a lot of difficulty to the less powerful users. Gates, who came out of Unix, knew the problems posed by its fragmentation.　　He abandoned Unix, but he did not intend to abandon the vast market, and SCO's success has brought him no small stimulus. Gates then ordered a "portable" operating system-the "Unix Killer".　　This is Microsoft's Windows NT, and the Unix camp, including SCO, will feel the pressure. After tough opponents set the "Unix killer" plan, Gates is planning to organize a team to complete the project. "I want a portable operating system too." "The question is not whether we should form a team, but when we can form a team to develop it." "The opportunity came," said Dec's genius engineer, David Katler, who was on the bench in the company. Gates personally met with Cutler. At the first meeting, Cutler gave Gates a go. He bluntly called Microsoft's code "poorly written", when Microsoft was proud and held in the palm of the DOS in the eyes of Cutler is only a toy.　　Only the ability to develop a future-oriented, network-managed, highly reliable and powerful operating system, says Cutler. At this time theGates has long been through the entrepreneurial period, with a wealth and powerful rights, ears sounded are "software prodigy" of the sweet voice.　　However, the harsh tone and disdain of Cutler confirmed Gates's determination to hire Cutler. Gates met Cutler's requirements as much as possible, and some of the requirements have even broken Microsoft's practice.　　For example, Cutler didn't want Microsoft's original engineer to join his team, he brought his team at Dec and some of the team were hardware engineers. Gates identifying vision and employing the attitude, finally got a generous return.　　In the 1993, Windows NT made a perfect appearance and became a sharp weapon for Microsoft to pry the UNIX market. While the Unix camp, including SCO, is at full throttle of Windows NT, Windows NT strides in the high-end market. SCO companies are starting to go downhill.