When Caldera bought the Unix business from SCO, it was already obvious to anyone marginally technical that "UNIX's star was waning as Linux's was waxing".

We know now from various depositions that IBM turned a harsh and cold shoulder when SCOX approached them for aid in various Linux extortion schemes.

It's genuinely sad - and it tells us a lot about the character of SCOX players - that, so far as we know, they never approached IBM (or anyone?) saying "We now have the UNIX mantle and technology 'ownership'.   We need some financial and technology assistance in making a business of migrating those customers to Linux".  My guess - remember Caldera had some cred as a Linux player at the time - is that the story today would be vastly different.  

I once taunted biff that SCOX's behaviour got them (justifiably, IMO) treated like an overagressive street hooker while IBM was installing Novell in the Princess suite.   I don't  know that Caldera would, with IBM's assistance, have wound up owning SuSE and now being the No. 2 Linux provider to enterprises, but it's not beyond the realm of possibility.

IBM has been around for more than a century.  They know better than to have chicken tonight when you can have eggs for years to come.  But Yarro wanted chicken.