"Two years ago, a tiny Utah company maneuvered its way into the biggest software battle on earth. On one side was mighty Microsoft. Challenging the giant was the Linux operating system, built and maintained by legions of volunteer programmers around the world--and supported by none other than IBM. Standing between them was SCO Group, a struggling software company in Lindon, a small town 30 miles south of Salt Lake City.
"While short on business, SCO held some potentially powerful copyrights. Partly funded by a hefty Microsoft license payment, SCO leveled a multibillion-dollar suit against IBM, charging that Big Blue had fed SCO-copyrighted software into Linux. This triggered fear and loathing in the fast-growing Linux community. A court win for SCO, Linux fans feared, could bring its growth to a grinding halt. And so, SCO became one of the most vilified companies in the technology industry..."
