Although the version of the kernel does make a difference, many Linux vendors tend to follow the lead of Linux distributors such as Red Hat Inc. and SuSE Linux. "We support the distribution rather than the kernel," says Ranajit Nevatia, Veritas Software's director of Linux strategy.
SCO Group's lawsuit against IBM has brought the issue of liability into focus for the Linux community. Until recently, Linux vendors haven't been asked to offer indemnification for their products. Now, they need to explain more clearly how they will protect customers against claims of intellectual property infringement. Novell chairman and CEO Jack Messman said during his LinuxWorld keynote on Wednesday that he believes customers won't continue to adopt open-source code if vendors don't offer accountability for their products.
IBM's position is a bit more measured. "Every time there's been a major disruptive technological innovation, along with all of the positive, people come out of the woodwork looking to get their little piece of it," Wladawsky-Berger said. He cites lawsuits filed years ago against inventors of such disparate technologies as the automobile, light bulb, and radio as examples. "One way or another, they get settled. People tend to remember people such as Ford and Edison as heroes, unlike the people who sued them."
Ultimately, despite SCO Group's promise to file a lawsuit against a major Linux user, intellectual-property liability is a matter for vendors to settle among themselves, Wladawsky-Berger said, adding that, "It's unusual for a vendor to threaten users, but this too shall pass."
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