"LinuxOne" files for an IPO

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Posted by CmdrTaco on Wednesday September 22, 1999 @09:53AM from the who-are-these-guys dept.

ColPanek writes "Surprise: The newest planned Linux-related IPO is not VA Linux Systems or LinuxCare, but a company called LinuxOne, which apparently has been shipping its own distro since way back in September 1999 ... This summary of their preliminary prospectus says LinuxOne didn't disclose any underwriters for the proposed offering."

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quick get the bandwagon by el_diablo · 1999-09-22 01:07 · Score: 4

linux one's website looks like a my first html experiment. i wouldn't even bbuy a distro from the these jokers let alone invest in their 'failure waiting to happen' future. I wonder if their mother's know they are having an IPO. dont you need to be like 17 or something.
Let's see... by mrsam · 1999-09-22 01:35 · Score: 5

... Company has existed since March, 1999.
... Their web site is a total joke.
... Their web server is a stock Red Hat Linux box. They don't even serve their pages off their own alleged Linux distribution.
... Despite their claim of being a US company, linuxone.com is registered to some outfit in Austria.
... Despite their so-called "free download", they will ask people for $9.95.
... Their order page is a ... BWAAAAAAHAHAHAHA ... a formmail CGI script. I'll bet a lot of people are perfectly comfortable sending their credit card number over the Internet in clear text.
If this isn't a big joke, I don't know what is.
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1. Re:Let's see... by nsanch · 1999-09-22 02:56 · Score: 4
  
  I think I have to point out that they're located at linuxone.net, not linuxone.com, so they're actually based in Mountain View, CA, not Austria.
  
  Still fubar tho.
  
  --
  I never did like to do anything simple when I could do it ass-backwards. - Neuromancer
The part I like is ... by Flammon · 1999-09-22 03:41 · Score: 3

The S-1 where it says
OUR RELIANCE ON THE SUPPORT OF LINUX TORVALDS AND OTHER PROMINENT LINUX DEVELOPERS COULD IMPAIR OUR ABILITY TO RELEASE MAJOR PRODUCT UPGRADES AND ESTABLISH MARKET SHARE.
Ya that's for sure. You'll never be able to rely on good ole Linux Torvald, today or ever. He doesn't exist you bunch of clowns!

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ayottesoftware.com
WebCoder Extraordinaires by WebMistress · 1999-09-22 03:53 · Score: 3

So the site is obviously done by an editor... code like this:

www.
LinuxOne.net

Give me a break!

The company is located 3 miles from my house... I'll swing by tonight and see if it's a Mailboxes, etc. address. I can tell you that it's right on the rail road tracks... prime real estate!
Sunnyvale City Councilman involved in this sham? by untulis · 1999-09-22 04:22 · Score: 3

Go click on the About LinuxOne on the cheesy website.

Stan Kawczynski is the Company's Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer. He also serves as Vice President of Investments for Birchtree Financial Services, Inc., a member NASD/SIPC and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Block Financial Corporation, with offices in Sunnyvale and San Rafael, California and Kansas City, Missouri. From 1993 to 1995, he was Vice President of Government Affairs, as well as the Director and Chairman of the Board of Trilogy Systems, Inc., a new business opportunities incubator company.

Now go visit the Sunnyvale City Council webpage and a certain one Mr. Stan Kawczynski's bio

PROFESSION

BK & Company, Insurance Marketing - Partner

Birchtree Financial Services, Vice President - Investments

Curious that an elected government official would be engaging in this kind of activity. True, there's nothing illegal here. But it sure smells funny...

For those of you who don't know, Sunnyvale is the "heart of Silicon Valley"[tm] (their words, not mine)
Jason "former Sunnyvale resident" Untulis
Talkback on LinuxToday by TurkishGeek · 1999-09-22 04:36 · Score: 4

I am copying a comment from the talkback section on LinuxToday. This gentleman is really pissed..
Read this:

"I really get sick of all the "SMUG KNOW-IT-ALL" attitude comming from some of the members of the LINUX Community! If you'd do a little research before confirming the opinion of some the folks watching the Linux Commununity (bunch of pimply faced teenagers), you'd know that LINUXONE is doing a Chinese translation of LINUX MANDRAKE Distro for the main-land Chinese market. A huge and very worth-while and possibly very lucritave endeavor. Before you run your mouth, ENGAGE YOUR BRAIN!

Keep in mind: YOU ALWAYS FIND THE MOST STICKS AND STONES UNDER THE TREE WITH BEST APPLES ON IT!

Regards,
George"

Looks like they have managed to find some hardcore fans on the first day..this is even more ridiculous...

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The owner is probably a spammer by AxelBoldt · 1999-09-22 02:58 · Score: 4

A quick deja search revealed this message in which somebody complains about being spammed from a domain owned by Dr. Chiou. The spam is for Windows software.
This is pretty funny.

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Re:I called him... by kevcol · 1999-09-22 04:54 · Score: 3

Well, the 415 area code was valid for Mountain View until the Peninsula split off into a 650 area code. And as it is a 948 prefix, it corresponds with Mt. View numbers. Since you work in Mt. View, leave out the area code. He has a bunch of domains listed, so the whois info has probably never been updated.
Founder seems kind of shady by pluteus_larva · 1999-09-22 03:02 · Score: 5

The sad opening to the LinuxOne page (once you can finally connect) was written by Dr. Wun C. Chiou, the founder. He also founded a company now known as NetUSA, whose stock is currently hovering around zero.

This sounds like a baaaaaad investment to me...

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Wage Slave Journal
Fascinating Tidbits... by XiRho · 1999-09-22 03:12 · Score: 4

1) The banners on the pages of LinuxOne.net are quite obviously created in Word. A Windows product, by MS, no less. What, The GIMP was too complicated?
2) The page was written in Frontpage, or atleast some of the subtle hints, for instance, in the source there is a charset/content type tag, any webmeister who knew these tags existed yet still made such a crappy page could only be doing it in FP, which inserts such tags into any page by default.
3) The webserver they are running isn't Apache, atleast, according to Netcraft, which says it's running "inetd in realloc(): warning, junk pointer too low to make sense"
4) According to the InterNIC whois database, the man who registered Linuxone.net has an address at Netusa.com, a man who can't set up sendmail is going to build a Linux distro worth 28,000,000? Hmmm...

"If you don't use windows then what do you use?"
"FreeBSD."
Life Imitates The Simpsons by Ralph+Wiggam · 1999-09-22 03:22 · Score: 3

Does this remind anyone else of Homer Simpson starting the ISP because "Everyone is making money off the internet except me"?

On a semi-serious note: two things could happen if the SEC actually lets these guys offer stock.

1) Nobody buys it, the IPO tanks, and Wall Street has a slightly lower opinion of upcoming IPOs like VA and LinuxCare.

2) Morons (see: mutual fund managers) buy a ton of LinuxOne stock, remembering the word "Linux" from a Red Hat press release and noticing the three digit share price next to RHAT. In three months when the earnings report is released with the entries "Income: Allowance $20 / Expenses: Kegger $4,329", the stock plummets. At that point, the Wall Street hive mind concludes "Huh, that Linux fad sure ended quickly". After that, VA or LinuxCare might not be able to get together ANY sort of IPO.

Open question to anyone with a background in finance: Are there any rules about what companies can and can't be publicly traded? Is it one of those capitalist "let the market decide" kind of deals?

Will LinuxOne be sending out "The Letter II"?

-Barry