[Linux-aus] Fwd: The challenge of buying a license from SCO

[Arjen Lentz <arjen@mysql.com>]

Somebody actually tried to purchase such a license and failed miserably:

"The challenge of buying a license from SCO"
http://lwn.net/Articles/47881/

[SNIP]
"I was sitting at my laptop, developing a product for my business on
Linux, and thought to myself "If SCO really does have IP in Linux,
then I'd better get me some licenses."

I called SCO.

The salesperson assured me that though they were backordered, I would
hear from a sales rep within two weeks. This was sort of frustrating,
since this meant that for two weeks my business was probably using
copyrighted software without a license, but owhell.

Two weeks passed without a phone call.

I called them again today, and a salesperson, beginning with "I don't
know quite how to explain this", let me know that there wasn't
a product manager for Linux licenses, and that there wasn't currently
a way for salespeople to sell these licenses. They were frustrated, too.

Since my business model involves distributing application servers,
I expressed concern over the transferability of the license, and asked
if the license itself was available. It is not.

More assurances followed that this will be productized soon, and
I'll receive a phone call from my sales rep. Apparently the sales
force for SCO is pretty much in the dark about the whole thing (and
none to happy about it).

When I offer money to a sales rep, and he can't manage to give me
any product for it, we have a problem. As we all know, a sales rep
would sell his boss's children if it a customer was willing to offer
money for them. (And it counted towards his quartly sales quotas.)"
[SNIP]


-- 
Arjen Lentz, Technical Writer, Trainer
Brisbane, QLD Australia
MySQL AB, www.mysql.com

Sydney 29 September (5 days): Using & Managing MySQL Training
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