Goodness me! Now a leaked memo from SCO (which SCO have admitted is genuine) implicates MS in indirectly funding SCO (through BayStar) to the tune of $86m just before SCO started it's action. Evidently fobs is right, MS is indeed a great contributor to charity, electing to prop up a failing company out of the goodness of their heart. Obviously the thought of laid-off employees wrung Ballmer and Gates gentle souls.
<tinfoil hat>
Imagine Bill and Steve sitting around drinking a beer, and
Steve saying to Bill, "hey bill, that longhorn looks cool,
but we are loosing market share, and in 2-3 years, well
there might not be enough market left to convince anyone
those features are worth what it cost us".
Bill being the scheming guy he is says, "I got a plan,
how about we get all them Penguins all wrapped up in some
hokey thing. REmember a couple years ago when that guy
trademarked "Linux" the whole community about quit writing
code so they could beat up that guy?"
Steve, "maybe, but so, you know someone who could trademark
linux again?"
Bill, "No, I got a buddy at SCO who says they might have
legal claim to all Unix, patents and stuff. They are pissed
at IBM too, and they only need a couple million to make it
happen."
Steve, "Ain't IBM into Linux too? that'd be great, those
penguins wouldn't know what hit 'em"
Bill, "Right, they'd be so busy trying to get to Salt Lake
nothing would get done on Linux. Longhorn could be five
years out, and people would still be impressed with it's
improvements."
Steve, "What happens to SCO if this doesn't work"
Bill, "Who cares, we'll make it 10 times what they ask
for, and tell 'em they can do whatever they want with the
money. Remeber this will be all legal and stuff, it'll be
years before it gets all unsnarled, tell 'em the need to
use that jerk Boies, that'll make the biggest mess of it
all".
Steve, "Yea, Boies, he almost got us, 'eh?".
Bill, "Don't remind me, hey did you make that contribution
to ..."
</tinfoil hat>
Even Paul Allen (who I quite liked) comes into the picture.
Read all about it on Groklaw
http://www.groklaw.net/