Laura DiDio

Laura DiDio is a technology analyst, writer and former investigative reporter with over 20 years experience in high technology. Formerly with the Giga Information Group (now Forrester Research) and The Yankee Group consulting firm in Boston, DiDio is currently the Principal at Information Technology Intelligence Corp. (ITIC), a company she founded. She has also held various reporting positions at a number of computer networking industry trade publications including: Computerworld, Network World, Communications Week, LAN Times, Digital Review and Electronic Buyers News. She received a B.A. in communications from Fordham University.
During her 25 year career, DiDio has also worked as an investigative reporter for various broadcasting and print outlets, including CNN and Channel 5 News in New York and Channel 11 in Minneapolis. Her investigative reports have also appeared in The Village Voice and The Minneapolis Star and Tribune.
DiDio is a frequent speaker at industry trade shows and user conferences and is widely quoted in the general, business and trade press. She also hosts Webinars and Podcasts for a wide range of media outlets and frequently contributes to Blogs.
She graduated from Fordham University with a BA Communications and a Minor in French.
SCO
In June 2003, she was invited to view snippets of the code that SCO Group claimed had been inserted into the mainline Linux Kernel. She stated that "It appeared as though the Unix System V code complete with the developer notes had been copied and pasted right into Linux. OK now, that said, that is not empirical proof of anything. It's just what it looked like to me, and they showed us snippets of things, so I can't state with absolute certainty what it meant. But what I came away thinking was that if this is what it appeared to be, then SCO has a credible case." and "Welcome to the wonderful world of Linux. These people are living in an alternative reality."
although later she was able to be more definitive "Some lines of code in Linux are the same as those in Unix, which SCO controls." On another occasion she commented "One could argue that developers could write exact or very similar code, but the developers' comments in the code are basically your DNA, or fingerprints, for a particular piece of source code" and "It appears to be the same ".
DiDio also said "Securing copyrights adds a measure of credence to SCO's claims. They are striking the right note of righteousness and responsibility." However, it was not all bad news for Linux: "SCO won't be stupid about the pricing. They won't gouge customers."
After SCO sent out letters demanding licensing payments from many companies DiDio said "The customers who received these 1,500 letters from SCO have been told this isn't going anywhere, I don't think anyone should listen to such empty assurances."
Half a year later she said: "You cannot draw a definitive conclusion from seeing snippets, you need the whole picture, and that's what we haven't seen yet. With that said, you'd have to be really crazy to try and sue IBM if you didn't have something."
In 2005 she noted SCO's financial difficulties, stating that "SCO's delisting by NASDAQ is clearly a red light; If I were an investor, I would be very concerned." In April, 2005 she also noted its legal difficulties: "As the party that launched the suit, the onus is squarely on The SCO Group to prove its claims. And yes, Judge Kimball's remarks in rendering his ruling were a scathing indictment against SCO—on the surface, the deck appears to be stacked higher than the Sears Tower against SCO."
"SCO could still pull out a long-shot victory if it has the evidence it claims it does, and if the evidence stands up to the scrutiny of jury and judge. Or this case could turn out to be the biggest nothing since Geraldo Rivera opened Al Capone's vault on national TV and didn't even find cockroaches!"
The Amityville Horror
While still in collage and working as a News Assistant and News Writer at Channel 5 News in NYC, DiDio contacted Kathy and Lee Lutz who agreed to let the then Metromedia (now Fox News) news outlet have exclusive access to film a seance in the house. The seance was organized by Connecticut based paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren. The Warrens invited a number of other psychics to the seance including representatives from Duke University's School of Parapsychology. DiDio served as a producer for the evening's events and assisted reporter Marvin Scott in his reporting of the seance, which was televised on the Channel 5 10 O'Clock News broadcast. She later also accompanied well-known paranormal investigator Hans Holzer into the house to document a follow-up seance he did using trance medium Ethel Myers-Johnson. The events surrounding the alleged haunting at 112 Ocean Ave, Amityville, NY served as the basis for a book "The Amityville Horror" by Jay Anson and several movies. The topic remains one of intense interest to this day. DiDio has been interviewed frequently on the subject, but she herself has never published any articles or reports on "The Amityville Horror." DiDio believes that something extraordinary did happen to the Lutzes to cause them to flee 112 Ocean Ave, Amityville after only 30 days. However, DiDio also says that she did not see or experience anything out of the ordinary during her several visits to the Amityville house.

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