Lineo

Lineo, Inc.

Company type	Public company
Industry	Software, Embedded systems
Predecessor	Caldera Thin Clients, Inc.
Founded	July 20, 1999 (1999-07-20) in Utah, United States
Defunct	2002 (2002)
Fate	Assets sold off; reorganized as Embedix, Inc.
Successor	Embedix, Inc.
Headquarters	Utah , United States
Area served	Worldwide
Key people	Bryan Wayne Sparks (President and CEO at founding), Matthew R. Harris (CEO of Embedix)
Products	Embedix (embedded Linux distribution), DR-DOS, uClinux, ThinLinux firewall
Number of employees	~350 (at peak) (2001)
Parent	Caldera, Inc. (originally as subsidiary)

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

History

Caldera Thin Clients, Inc. was formed as a subsidiary under Caldera, Inc. on 2 September 1998. Roger Alan Gross held the position of president and CEO until his departure in January 1999. In April 1999, the company made the source code for GEM and ViewMAX available under the GNU General Public License (GPL).

By July 1999, the organization shifted its focus towards Linux and adopted the new identity of Lineo.

Lineo secured a license for a streamlined version of OpenLinux from Caldera Systems, which it marketed as Embedix. The company retained its former Caldera Thin Clients sales branch in Taipei throughout 1999 and officially reincorporated in Delaware by January 2000.

Leading the embedded systems sector, Lineo developed proprietary technologies, including:

• Rt-Control's μClinux, a Linux variant designed for microcontrollers such as Motorola 68k/ColdFire, Intel i960, ARM7, and ETRAX CRIS processors, offering multitasking abilities without an MMU in constrained memory environments.
• FirePlug's Linux-based firewall solution built on ThinLinux, capable of operating with minimal resources—just 2 MB of disk or flash storage and 8 MB of RAM.
• Embedix, Lineo’s primary product delivering a fully multitasking Linux operating system within only 2 MB ROM/flash and 4 MB RAM.
• Embedix SDK coupled with Embrowser, a fully graphical embedded web browser ported from DR-WebSpyder (itself initially based on Arachne).

This product lineup enabled Lineo to provide a complete Linux OS including a graphical browser that could run directly from a floppy disk. Unlike competitors who concentrated on Linux APIs tailored for real-time operating systems, Lineo implemented a customized Linux kernel enhanced for security and extended real-time functionality through six strategic acquisitions. This approach expanded compatibility across platforms ranging from microcontrollers to sophisticated computing systems.

Bryan Wayne Sparks, one of Caldera’s founders dating back to 1994, assumed the role of president and CEO at Lineo’s inception. The company initially employed fourteen staff members.

Embedix remained the central offering—a compact Linux distribution for embedded applications licensed from Caldera Systems.

Additionally, Lineo possessed ownership of DR-DOS, a DOS-compatible operating system originally developed by Caldera UK Ltd. and acquired from Novell in 1996.

Through multiple acquisitions, Lineo broadened its product range across diverse sectors and expanded its workforce to roughly 350 employees with offices spanning seven countries. Notable acquisitions comprised:

• Zentropix – specialists in realtime Linux
• Rt-Control Inc. – creators of uClinux and suppliers of small board solutions
• Moreton Bay – provider of VPN/router technology based in Brisbane, Australia
• United Systems Engineering (USE) – Japanese firm focused on Linux consulting
• Fireplug – Canadian Linux consultancy known for ThinLinux
• Inup – provider of high availability Linux solutions
• Embedded Power Corporation – developer of realtime and DSP operating systems (RTXC)

Decline

In October 2001, Lineo extended a complimentary license permitting redistribution and modification of original Digital Research binaries and source code associated with CP/M and MP/M through "The Unofficial CP/M Web site," a license originally granted by Caldera in 1997.

After an asset auction held in April 2002, the firm reorganized as Embedix, Inc., led by Matthew R. Harris, who had previously served as a Summit Law attorney for Caldera. Nonetheless, Embedix's existence was brief; later that same year, its division was purchased by Motorola's Metrowerks.

Remaining Digital Research properties reverted to the investor Canopy Group, while portions of the DR-DOS source code were obtained by DeviceLogics toward the end of 2002. Embedded software components and uClinux-related assets (originally from Rt-Control Inc.) were acquired by Arcturus Networks Inc. during 2002.

The router segment (formerly Moreton Bay) was spun off into SnapGear, which was subsequently bought by CyberGuard, then by Secure Computing, and eventually became part of McAfee. By 2008, the SnapGear line of VPN routers continued to be manufactured.

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

Further reading

• Press release: Lineo acquires USE, Inc., Lindon, Utah, USA, PRNewswire
• Article: Lineo's acquisitions and IPO plans
• SEC filing for Lineo IPO
• Stock Purchase and Sale Agreement between Lineo Inc. and Caldera Systems Inc., 2000-01-06

External links

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