McBride's home phone has been crippled by incoming calls since Sunday PST when the previously unlisted number and his home address were posted on popular technology Web site, Slashdot.
It is understood that McBride and his wife have been relying on mobile phone service since the calls started rolling in. SCO spokesman Blake Stowell said the family had since received dozens of "obnoxious and sometimes malicious" phone calls
"Someone even had the gall to try and place a 'collect' prank call," said Stowell.
One reader of Slashdot, who claimed to have called the number, reported leaving a message for the McBride family:
"Sorry to say, but, you've been Slashdotted. Have a good Sunday."
Stowell would not say specifically whether McBride had increased security around his family home since its location was published on Slashdot but conceded that "Darl does at times arrange for personal protection by armed security."
When asked how McBride had reacted to the input from the callers, another spokesperson for SCO said:
"I dare say he probably wouldn't have answered any of them".
The assault on the SCO's Web site was instigated by the authors of the MyDoom.A virus which was discovered around February 26th. The mass mailing worm was designed to enlist thousands of infected Internet PCs to conduct a distributed denial of service attack on SCO's Web address.
A modified version of the virus targeting Microsoft appeared around three days later but it is widely believed that the primary attack on SCO was linked to the company's attempt to enforce copyright claims against popular open source operating system Linux.
SCO's claims are being articulated in a law suit against IBM in which it alleges Big Blue illegally placed proprietary Unix code into the open source system.
Raising the ire of the Linux community, SCO is offering licenses to commercial Linux users to ensure they do not infringe SCO's copyright. However open source advocates have derided the little evidence SCO has presented publicly to back its claims and are advising Linux users to ignore them.
While SCO has described the Web attack as a "nuisance and nothing more" the company has matched Microsoft in offering a US$250,000 reward for information leading to the capture and prosecution of the MyDoom authors.
clipped from another source:
Tomorrow, the judge rules on whether SCO has "identified with specificity" the alleged infringements. Magistrate Notice of Hearing
[uscourts.gov] Motion hearing set for 10:00 2/6/04 for all pending motions: ... To be held before Judge Wells. SCO has already been ordered by the judge to comply. That happened back in December. The order is below. Notice item 4. Tomorrow, the judge rules on whether they did comply. Order granting [68-1] motion to compel discovery, granting [44-1] motion to compel Discovery.
The SCO Group is hereby ORDERED:
1) To respond fully and in detail to Interrogatory Nos. 1-9 as stated in
IBM's First Set of Interrogatories.
2) To respond fully and in detail to Interrogatory Nos 12 and 13 as
stated in IBM's Second Set of Interrogatories.
3) IBM is to provide SCO a list of requested documents as stated in
IBM's First and Second Requests for the Production of Documents and SCO
is to produce all requested documents.
4) To identify and state with specificity the source code(s) that SCO is
claiming form the basis of their action against IBM. This is to include
identification of all Bates numbered documents previously provided.
5) To the extent IBM's requests call for the production of documents or
are met by documents SCO has already provided, SCO is to identify with
specificity the location of responsive answers including identification
of the Bates numbered documents previously provided if applicable.
6) If SCO does not have sufficient information in its possession,
custody, or control to specifically answer any of IBM's requests that
are the subject of this order, SCO shall provide an affidavit setting
forth the full nature of its efforts, by whom they were taken, what
further efforts it intends to utilize in order to comply, and the
expected date of compliance. SCO is required to provide such answers and
documents within thirty days from the date of this order. All other
discovery, including SCO's Motion to Compel is hereby STAYED until this
Court determines that SCO has fully complied with this Order.
http://www.utd.uscourts.gov/documents/ibm_hist.html