Well-known Linux luminary Jon “maddog” Hall is CTO and “ambassador” of a startup selling Linux-based thin clients and network appliances. Koolu currently has two hardware offerings that run Ubuntu Linux, and work with Google Apps in energy- and pollution-sparing installations for business, government, and… education.

(Click for larger view of Jon “maddog” Hall)

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During an allegedly illustrious professorial and computer industry career spanning 25 years, Hall worked at DEC (Digital Equipment) in the mid 1990s. He was reportedly instrumental in getting 64-bit Alpha hardware provided to Linus Torvalds and others helping with that critical first of Linux's many architecture ports. Hall subsequently earned a reputation as one of Linux's greatest promoters, tirelessly delivering keynote after keynote address at perhaps every Linux conference ever held.

Koolu's motto is “save a tonne with koolu,” referring to the amount of carbon emissions spared by its low-powered device, compared to running a standard client PC for a year. Network-based computing — for example with Google Apps as the backend — also offers advantages in data security, safety, and computer maintenance, the company contends.

Currently, Koolu offers two Linux-based clients, both based on AMD Geode LX800 embedded processors. A $200 Thin Client model sports 256MB of PC3400 RAM, 16-bit audio (some devices in its class offer only 8-bit mono audio), and four USB ports. A $300 Network Appliance model adds a 40GB hard drive, and upgrades the RAM to 512MB.

Koolu client
Along with its clients, Koolu also offers Ubuntu desktop and server support, priced from $250 to $4,000 per year, with “9 x 5” and “24 x 7” plans offered.

Additionally, the company sponsors a community organization hosting some interesting projects, such as an OLPC (One Laptop Per Child) port to the Koolu thin client hardware. Further details are on Koolu's website.

—Henry Kingman

Thanks to Jon Wickes for calling this story to our attention.

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