Turbolinux
| Company type | Public (formerly) |
|---|---|
| Industry | Software, Linux distribution |
| Predecessor | Pacific HiTech, Inc. |
| Founded | 1992 in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States |
| Founder | Cliff Miller, Iris Miller |
| Defunct | December 31, 2019 |
| Fate | Dissolved; assets transferred to Turbo Systems Co., Ltd. |
| Headquarters | Tokyo , Japan |
Area served | Asia |
Key people | Scott Stone (early developer) |
| Products | Turbolinux OS (Linux distribution) |
| Parent | FHT holdings Corp. (last parent company) |
Turbolinux was a Linux distribution from Japan that targeted markets throughout Asia.
Linux distribution
The Turbolinux OS began as a customized Red Hat variant created by Scott Stone, an employee at Pacific HiTech, who managed releases up to version 3.6.
A distinctive feature of this distribution was its inclusion of licensed CyberLink PowerDVD and Windows Media binary codecs, which improved multimedia capabilities for end users.
TurboLinux Enterprise Server editions 15 and 16 utilize the openEuler platform and provide compatibility with IA-32, x86-64, and ARM processor architectures.
Company
Turbolinux, Inc. (ターボリナックス株式会社), originally established as Pacific HiTech, Inc. in 1992 in Salt Lake City, Utah, later expanded operations to Tokyo, Japan. The firm experienced multiple ownership transitions and structural changes, including acquisitions by Software Research Associates, Inc. (2002), livedoor Co., Ltd. (2004), TL HOLDINGS, Inc. (2009), TurbolinuxHD Corporation (2013), GEONEXT Corporation (2014), and FHT holdings Corp. (2019). The Japanese parent company commenced its dissolution process toward the end of 2019.
Turbolinux concentrated on creating operating system solutions optimized for Asian-language users across diverse hardware environments.
Pacific HiTech, Inc. period
TurboLinux was founded in 1992 by Cliff Miller and Iris Miller under the name Pacific HiTech, Inc., starting operations from their basement in Salt Lake City.
By 1993, Pacific HiTech had opened a branch office in Tokyo, Japan.
Turbolinux, Inc. period
On June 8, 1999, Pacific HiTech rebranded itself as Turbolinux, Inc., reflecting its strategy to grow within the North American market.
In January 2000, Turbolinux attracted $57 million in investments from major companies including Compaq, Dell, and Intel.
The Millers were dismissed "without cause" in July 2000 following disputes with venture capital stakeholders.
In October 2000, Turbolinux submitted an S-1 registration statement to the SEC reporting revenues of $2.932 million for the first half of that year ending June 30.
Following workforce reductions, on August 20, 2002, Japan-based Software Research Associates, Inc. (SRA) acquired Turbolinux, Inc., converting it into a wholly owned subsidiary while maintaining its U.S. office. The acquisition price was ¥150 million for full ownership. After the transaction, TurboLinux Japan adopted the name Turbolinux, Inc., whereas the U.S.-based division became Centerlex to continue developing PowerCockpit server provisioning software not included in SRA's purchase. In February 2003, Mountain View Data purchased PowerCockpit.
On March 15, 2004, livedoor Co., Ltd. and SRA announced that livedoor would fully acquire Turbolinux; the deal closed on May 6 of that year.
On August 5, 2005, Turbolinux issued 10,000 additional common shares for public subscription; livedoor sold 9,000 of these shares publicly in September at ¥100,000 per share.
Turbolinux completed its initial public offering on the Osaka Stock Exchange in September 2005 with underwriting provided by Nikko Citigroup, Livedoor Securities, and Mizuho Investors Securities.
On May 1, 2009, TL HOLDINGS, Inc. was formed as a holding company supervising Turbolinux and its subsidiaries such as Turbo Solutions and Zend Japan.
TL HOLDINGS announced that Turbolinux’s offices would relocate effective June 1, 2009.
On April 1, 2013, TL HOLDINGS changed its name to TurbolinuxHD Corporation.
One year later on April 1, 2014, TurbolinuxHD Corporation rebranded itself as GEONEXT Corporation.
Finally, on April 1, 2019, GEONEXT Corporation adopted the name FHT holdings Corp.
Dissolution
On October 15, 2019, FHT Holdings Corp. declared that Turbolinux, Inc. would be dissolved effective December 31, 2019, with the liquidation process finalized by March 2020. The remaining assets of Turbolinux were transferred to Turbo Systems Co., Ltd.
Subsidiaries
- TurboLinux (Hongkong) Limited: Launched in July 2000 as the Hong Kong branch of TurboLinux.
- TurboLinux Inc., Taiwan Branch: Established in September 2000 to broaden operations within Taiwan.
- TurboLinux (Korea): Branch managing activities in South Korea.
- Konekto, Inc. (コネクト株式会社): Originally created in December 2002 under the name Zend Open Source Systems Japan, Ltd., this entity was initially started by 10art-ni Corporation in 2001. It was renamed Open Source Japan Ltd. in 2004, during which the Zend division was separated into Zend Japan Ltd. Turbolinux acquired a majority 90% share in Zend Japan Ltd. in April 2006, enhancing its foothold in the Asian internet operating system sector. In July 2012, TL HOLDINGS rebranded the firm as Konekto, Inc. The zend.co.jp domain was subsequently transferred to iGUAZU Corporation, a subsidiary of JBCC Holdings Inc., in early 2013.
- Shanghai Turbolinux Software Inc. (上海拓林思軟件有限公司): Founded in April 2008 as a new research and development center located in Shanghai.
- Turbo Labo (ターボラボ株式会社): Formed as a joint venture at the end of 2009, with Turbolinux holding a 49% stake and iSOFT Infrastructure Software Co., Ltd. owning 51%, aimed at enhancing software infrastructure capabilities.
Former subsidiaries
- Turbolinux, Inc. (ターボリナックス株式会社): Established in April 1993 as Pacific HiTech, Inc.'s Utah branch and incorporated in Tokyo as Pacific HiTech, KK in 1995. It was renamed TurboLinux Japan, K.K. in 1999 with headquarters relocated soon after. After the parent company’s Utah branch was sold to Software Research Associates, Inc., it merged into the Japanese entity. In 2002, TurboLinux Japan adopted the name Turbolinux, Inc.
- Turbolinux Inc., China Branch/Turbolinux China Co., Ltd. (北京拓林思软件有限公司): Founded in April 1999 as TurboLinux (Beijing), renamed to Turbolinux Inc., China Branch by July that year, and moved its headquarters within Beijing in 2005. TL HOLDINGS divested its holdings in 2011 to withdraw from the Chinese market. GEONEXT Corporation began transferring its shares to GreatDB during 2015, completing this process by October 2016. The company continued operations after the dissolution of its parent firm.
- Turbolinux India Private Limited (Turbolinux印度私营有限公司): Initiated early in 2006 in Gurgaon as a joint venture with India Action Plan Company Limited (I.A.P.), with Turbolinux holding a majority stake of 55%. Operations started in April 2006. TL HOLDINGS sold its shares back to I.A.P. in 2012 as part of a strategic withdrawal from the market.
- InfiniTalk Co., Ltd. (インフィニトーク株式会社): Originated from LASER5, which was spun off from Itsutsubashi Research Co., Ltd.'s OS division in August 1999. Acquired by Turbolinux in June 2006 and rebranded as Turbo Solutions K.K. in April 2008 to reinforce its system integration business focusing on web systems. Sold to Japan Multimedia Services Corporation (JMS) in September 2010; it was subsequently renamed JMS Solutions and later rebranded as InfiniTalk Co., Ltd. in March 2011.
- CJ-LINX, Inc. (シージェイ・リンクス/CJ-LINX 株式会社): Established by Turbolinux in March 2009 to assist Japanese enterprises entering China by providing business infrastructure and operational support services. TL HOLDINGS divested and liquidated CJ-LINX early in 2011 as part of its strategy to exit the Chinese market.