Table of Contents


Updates To These Notes

The very latest Release Notes for Skunkware can be found at http://skunkware.dev/skunkware/relnotes.html.

What is it ?

SCO Skunkware is the generic name for a free collection of software prebuilt for SCO systems. This distribution is Skunkware 7.1.1 and is intended for use on the UnixWare 7.1.1 platform. To obtain SCO Skunkware pre-built for use on SCO OpenServer, see the SCO Skunkware Web Site or you may wish to order the Skunkware 98 CD.

Distributions are released on CD periodically and a repository of this and previous distributions as well as updates and corrections can always be found at http://skunkware.dev/skunkware.

SCO Skunkware contains a wide variety of software ranging from educational and experimental research tools to commercial grade software suitable for use on a production server.

It is provided for free and is not formally supported by SCO.

The software on the Skunkware CD-ROM is licensed under a variety of terms. Much of it is licensed under the terms of the GNU General Public License. Some is licensed under the GNU Library General Public License. Other components are licensed under the Artistic License. Many of the components are "freeware" with no restrictions on their redistribution while a few components are "shareware" meaning the author would like you to try the software and, if you wish to use it, send her some money. Some components simply restrict their use to non-commercial purposes.

To determine the licensing conditions for a particular component, see the corresponding source in the source directory.

The source archives are organized by functional category. The categories are:

Skunkware Software Categories
audio emulators libraries shellutil fileutil mail sysadmin db net
textproc devtools interp news video editors lib shells www
X11 Graphical Categories
apps fonts games graphics misc savers utils viewers winman

Many of the components of SCO Skunkware may be viewed as productivity and development tools to be taken seriously. Don't let its whimsical nature fool you. Examples of serious tools on Skunkware include:
Of course, Skunkware also contains fun stuff. Gotta have something to keep the polecats entertained thru the night. Examples include:
Several of the components on this CD should be considered experimental. Consider Skunkware a research tool. Examples:

Remember, Skunkware is freely distributed and unsupported software. No warranty is made on any of the Skunkware components. Support and assistance with this software is not provided by SCO. In many cases, however, an e-mail to skunkware@ronrecord.com describing any problem you might have may result in a reply/fix/solution. And ...

The Santa Cruz Operation, Inc. and SCO Skunkware are not related to, affiliated with or licensed by the famous Lockheed Martin Skunk Works (R), the creator of the F-117 Stealth Fighter, SR-71, U-2, Venturestar(tm), Darkstar(tm), and other pioneering air and spacecraft.

Getting Started