“Speculation that Microsoft might build a flavor of Linux into
Windows Server 2003 has been rife since May, when the company said
it was licensing the Unix source code and patent from the SCO
Group. That action followed SCO’s infamous US$1 billion lawsuit,
filed in March, which accuses IBM of improperly lifting copyrighted
Unix technology and building it into Linux.“The Microsoft-Linux speculation has been fueled by Linux’
increasing prominence on the enterprise server level, largely
thanks to IBM, and Microsoft’s historical willingness to react to
competitive threats by creating its own versions of rival
products.“Still, despite the speculation, there is considerable doubt
that Microsoft will develop or distribute its own version of Linux
anytime soon…”