Guess what? The SCO litigation and surrounding media hoopla actually helped accelerate Linux's popularity -- and its legal foundation. SCO's legal offensive was effectively a wake-up call for a community, mobilizing and uniting a large but disparate group of customers and developers around a single cause. We all read the headlines warning of dark times ahead for Linux and the open-source software movement. "Suit imperils prospects for Linux," said the Boston Globe. "Free software faces a rocky road to court," warned the Financial Times. "One billion dollar lawsuit against IBM (NYSE: IBM) could taint Linux," cautioned the Seattle Times. Starting early in 2003, these and other stories detailed at length SCO Group's legal actions against suppliers and customers of Linux.
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