Linpus Linux
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Software |
| Headquarters | Taiwan |
| Products | Linpus Linux operating system |
Linpus Linux was an operating system derived from Fedora Linux, created by the Taiwanese company Linpus Technologies Inc. It was designed primarily for the Asian market, offering comprehensive Unicode compatibility for Chinese and Japanese characters. Linpus Lite, a variant tailored for budget-friendly devices such as netbooks, provided a "Simple mode" that utilized both icons and tabs aimed at beginners, alongside a traditional "PC mode" similar to Microsoft Windows. It also supported handheld gadgets with smaller display sizes, accommodating screen resolutions down to VGA (640 × 480).
Devices like the Acer Aspire One and Norhtec Geckonetbook models came preloaded with Linpus Lite; certain versions of the Acer Revo 3610 and 3700 also featured Linpus Linux.
Linpus offered multiple editions including those for desktop PCs and servers, as well as a specialized Multimedia edition named Linpus Media Center. This edition included an "Upgrade pack" that allowed users to obtain patent licenses from MPEG-LA for formats such as DVD, MP3, WMV, among other codecs.
Nagware
The Linpus distribution contains not only a free and open source operating system but also Acer-specific "shareware" elements—referred to as "nagware" because they prompt users to register on Acer's site and purchase a full license. Due to these components, the Acer version is not regarded as a completely free and open platform.