Microsoft's decision to license UNIX code from the litigious SCO Group will do little to allay fears that SCO is but a beard for Redmond.

"The announcement of this license is representative of Microsoft's ongoing commitment to respecting intellectual property (IP) and the IT community's healthy exchange of IP through licensing," reports Peter Galli at eWeek. "This helps to ensure IP compliance across Microsoft solutions and supports our efforts around existing products like Services for UNIX that further UNIX interoperability."

In what many regard as an exit strategy from the Unix business, the SCO Group (formerly Caldera) has begun an aggressive campaign of litigation against software libre implementations.

Microsoft was instrumental in SCO's early growth. The Santa Cruz Operation developed a UNIX for x86 processors that Microsoft marketed as XENIX™. After Redmond lost interest (it didn't match the anticipated volumes) SCO worked hard to create channels and a successful business for Unix.

Perhaps after years of raging against the Beast of Redmond, Ray Noorda - who pulls the strings at SCO via his holding group Canopy - has simply lost the appetite for a battle. ®

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