Embedix (company)

Lineo, Inc.

Company type	Public (formerly)
Industry	Software, Embedded systems
Predecessor	Caldera Thin Clients
Founded	July 20, 1999 (1999-07-20) in Utah, United States
Defunct	2002 (2002)
Fate	Assets auctioned; restructured as Embedix, Inc.; division acquired by Motorola's Metrowerks
Headquarters	Utah (initial), later Delaware (reincorporated) , United States
Area served	Worldwide
Key people	Bryan Wayne Sparks (President and CEO)
Products	Embedix Linux distribution, DR-DOS, ThinLinux firewall, Embrowser
Number of employees	350 (at peak)

Lineo emerged as a company specializing in thin client and embedded system technologies, originating from a spin-off of Caldera Thin Clients on 20 July 1999.

History

Established as a division of Caldera, Inc. on 2 September 1998, Caldera Thin Clients was initially led by president and CEO Roger Alan Gross until January 1999. In April 1999, the company made the source code for GEM and ViewMAX publicly available under the terms of the GNU General Public License (GPL).

By July 1999, Caldera Thin Clients shifted its strategic focus to Linux, adopting the new name Lineo.

Lineo obtained a license for a simplified version of the OpenLinux distribution from Caldera Systems, which it marketed as Embedix. The company maintained its Taipei sales office throughout 1999 and completed reincorporation in Delaware in January 2000.

Lineo’s proprietary technologies positioned it as a leader within the embedded systems sector, including:

• Rt-Control's μClinux, a Linux variant tailored for microcontrollers such as Motorola 68k/ColdFire, i960, ARM7, and ETRAX CRIS, capable of multitasking without an MMU on minimal RAM/ROM.
• FirePlug’s Linux-based initiatives like ThinLinux firewall, operable with as little as 2 MB of disk or flash memory and 8 MB of RAM.
• Embedix, Lineo’s primary offering, providing a fully multitasking, network-enabled Linux operating system within 2 MB ROM/flash and 4 MB RAM.
• Embedix SDK alongside Embrowser, a graphical web browser adapted for embedded platforms, originally ported from the DOS-based DR-WebSpyder browser.

This collection of technologies allowed a complete Linux operating system with graphical browsing capabilities to function even from a floppy disk. Unlike competitors who delivered Linux APIs atop real-time operating systems, Lineo developed a customized Linux kernel that enhanced security and real-time performance across multiple processor architectures through six strategic acquisitions. This approach broadened support from compact microcontrollers to sophisticated high-availability systems.

Bryan Wayne Sparks, one of Caldera’s founding members, assumed the role of president and CEO when Lineo was established. The company initially operated with a team of 14 employees.

Embedix was Lineo’s flagship product—a compact Linux distribution designed for embedded environments and licensed from Caldera Systems. Another significant offering was DR-DOS, a DOS-compatible operating system developed by Caldera UK Ltd. between 1996 and 1999, which had originally been acquired from Novell in 1996.

Through various acquisitions, Lineo broadened its product range across multiple segments and expanded to approximately 350 staff members with offices spanning seven countries. Acquired entities included:

• Zentropix – specialists in real-time Linux
• Rt-Control Inc. – creators of uClinux and providers for small hardware platforms
• Moreton Bay – VPN and router manufacturer based in Brisbane, Australia
• United Systems Engineering (USE) – Japanese Linux consultancy
• Fireplug – Canadian Linux consulting firm (ThinLinux)
• Inup – provider of high-availability Linux solutions
• Embedded Power Corporation – developers of real-time and DSP operating systems (RTXC product)

Decline

In October 2001, Lineo broadened the free licensing terms for redistribution and modification concerning original Digital Research binaries and source codes linked to CP/M and MP/M through "The Unofficial CP/M Web site," building upon a license originally granted by Caldera in 1997.

After an asset auction took place in April 2002, the organization restructured as Embedix, Inc. by July 2002, led by Matthew R. Harris, previously a Summit Law attorney representing Caldera. Despite this, Embedix had a brief existence and terminated operations later that year following the acquisition of its division by Motorola's Metrowerks.

Remaining Digital Research intellectual property reverted back to investor Canopy Group, while portions of the DR-DOS source code were obtained by DeviceLogics toward the end of 2002. In that same year, Arcturus Networks Inc. acquired embedded modules and uClinux assets formerly held by Rt-Control Inc.

The router segment (formerly Moreton Bay) was spun off into SnapGear, which was subsequently acquired by CyberGuard, then Secure Computing, and finally absorbed by McAfee. As of 2008, McAfee continued to manufacture products under the SnapGear VPN/router brand.

Lineo Japan, previously a fully owned subsidiary operating under the name United System Engineers, now functions as Lineo Solutions.

Further reading

• Lineo acquisition of USE, Inc. – Press release from PRNewswire
• Overview of Lineo's acquisitions and IPO intentions – CNET News
• SEC filing documents for Lineo IPO
• Stock Purchase and Sale Agreement between Lineo Inc. and Caldera Systems Inc. (dated 2000-01-06)

External links

• Archived versions of Lineo, Inc. websites: (1999), (2000–2003), and (2002–2003)
• Archived website of Lineo Solutions, Inc. (2003–2018)