Well, SCO got a big Valentine’s treat last week – a $100M potential investment by the very politically-connected Stephen Norris Capital Partners (an equity firm) and their “partners from the Middle East” to lift the firm out of the morass of Chapter 11 bankruptcy and into private hands. While Linux adherents are clearly annoyed with SCO’s escape from the bankruptcy abyss, the more interesting item to consider is how SNCP is going to get the kind of “bragging rights” IRR out of UNIX.
What if there was a strategic need for an OS that’s entirely licensed for military use? $100M would be a reasonable bet to get return on investment if 1) you had an “in” with the DOD and 2) they buy off that they need an OS qualified for strategic security reasons. I know some people might get hung up on the Middle East connection, but that would only be an issue if there was majority foreign ownership, and that can be easily handled via a domestic equity firm. Just food for thought.
Also, Larry Lessig of “creative commons” fame (whom I’ve interviewed as well as reviewed) has announced that he is considering a run for Tom Lanto’s seat against the very popular and (once again) politically-connected Jackie Speier. Larry’s concern is political corruption, and given the Zeitgeist it is a serious one, but not one that has arisen recently. Several years ago Larry and I chatted about the possibility (before YouTube, mind you) of using user-generated video to create a “truth squad” to monitor political campaigns for honesty. We both could see this coming, but I think it came into fruition with the “macaca” remark blurted out by George Allen (former Republican Senator for Virginia) during a campaign stop and captured on video for the world by the intrepid (and unflappable) S. R. Sidarth. I don’t vote in this district, but I must say that Larry would make this a very interesting race if he chooses to enter it. Time will tell.