SCO doesn't make Linux a no-go

Only a small portion of companies thinking about implementing Linux have been put off by the legal wrangling with SCO, according to a recent survey of 100 chief information officers by investment firm Credit Suisse First Boston.

The survey found that 84 per cent of CIOs with Linux installation plans had not re-evaluated their plans in response to the SCO litigation. Of the respondents, 73 per cent had Linux implementation plans, according to the survey.

SCO Group, owner of several key copyrights related to the Unix operating system, has rattled the IT world with its claims about the Linux operating system. In March, the company sued IBM, alleging Big Blue misappropriated SCO's Unix technology and built it into Linux. SCO also has sent letters to about 1,500 large corporations warning that they could be liable for using Linux.

A major question facing companies selling Linux products has been whether the litigation and threats will slow adoption of the operating system.

The CSFB study found that 29 per cent of respondents had implemented Linux for mission-critical applications and 23 per cent had installed it in the data centre.

CSFB wrote: "As companies gain experience with Linux and developers and administrators increase their skill sets, we expect Linux deployment to increase with negative implications for Unix and probably Microsoft."

Ed Frauenheim writes for News.com