“…here’s Ransom’s advice for ISVs developing for future SCO
products. It’s simple. “Develop to Linux now.” If he’s sure about
nothing else, Ransom is sure that Linux is the UNIX-on-Intel
standard. As for the ISVs, “None of them are going to be able to
say that they don’t want anything to do with Linux.” Whether the
ISVs ultimately decide to support Linux or not, they will be
learning it.”
“But this doesn’t mean SCO’s current offerings are off the menu.
They’re just getting a coat of Linux paint. “Partners and OEMs need
high-end today, and UnixWare can fill that role today.” The Linux
kernel personality on UnixWare is being demonstrated here at the
show, and is now undergoing performance tuning and testing. It will
be a released product within a few months. So there’s your
write-once solution for those two OS flavors, anyway.”
“So, Linux, UnixWare, Openserver, Monterey (or whatever they’re
calling it now) — what is the secret master plan? I draw
a chart — OSes down the left, years across the top, fill
in “Linux 2.4” in 2001 with a question mark, and ask Ransom to fill
in the rest. Arrows sprout from Linux and spread like fungus
tendrils into the “UnixWare” and “Monterey” areas —
that’s the compatibility thing — and a big arrow moves
forward into the future along the UnixWare/Linux dividing
line. This represents the spawn of Linux and UnixWare, an
über-OS with a yet-to-be-determined licensing policy. Ransom
says you’ll be able to see the source code, but parts will be open
source, and parts will be “viewable source” — you’ll be able
to read it, but not modify and redistribute it.”