SCO, Novell: Grokking Where Credit is Due

“The next thing that ruined SCO’s plans? Groklaw.

“Had things stayed in the boardrooms and courthouses, I do
believe that the outcome of all of these cases might have turned
out differently. Facts would have stayed buried. Companies might
have been tempted to settle. The sheer arrogance of SCO might have
been hidden behind friendly sounding press releases.

“That, I’m sure, is the way SCO wanted it to happen. And again,
looking at the Linux community in 2003, that’s what very likely
could have happened. Remember, there was no central Linux
organization to respond to this sort of thing. SCO would have
quietly maneuvered its way through all of these lawsuits, even the
claims made by Novell, and they may have had a better chance.

“But Pamela Jones and the community she built at Groklaw was the
Linux response. Writing tirelessly alone at first, then gaining
incredible volunteer support and contributions, Jones was able to
build an incredible repository of information surrounding all of
the cases involving SCO. Now, when claims were made, their veracity
would be publicly examined and then confirmed or denied.”

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