Amid the Linux vendors and users at this week's LinuxWorld Conference & Expo here, Linux vendor UnitedLinux was noticeably absent. UnitedLinux--a four-partner effort to create a standardized, enterprise-ready version of the Linux operating system for business computing--didn't have a booth at the show, nor did it have a presence as a partner in any of the other vendor booths. The partnership has been strained since March, when one of the UnitedLinux companies--The SCO Group--filed a lawsuit against IBM. SCO seeks damages of more than $3 billion for allegedly contributing some of SCO's Unix intellectual property to Linux. IBM has since countersued. The other UnitedLinux partners are SuSE Linux AG, Conectiva SA, and Turbolinux.

Richard Seibt, SuSE's chief executive officer, acknowledges the absence of UnitedLinux at the show and says that since SCO filed its lawsuit, an "uncomfortable situation" has developed between the two companies. "I have made it clear that we are re-evaluating our relationship with SCO," he says. SuSE Linux is the major partner in UnitedLinux. No decisions have yet been made on the future of SuSE and UnitedLinux, Seibt says, but given the SCO lawsuit against IBM, changes to the current partnership and marketing model are likely. "I would say UnitedLinux will exist and will continue to exist as long as ... customers use it," Seibt adds.