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Impi Linux
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{{Refimprove|date=November 2007}}
{{Infobox OS
| name =                   Impi Linux
| logo =                   
| screenshot =             
| caption =                
| developer =              Impi Linux (Pty) Ltd
| family =                 [[Unix-like]]
| source_model =           [[Open source]]
| language =               multilingual
| kernel_type =            [[Monolithic kernel|Monolithic]] [[Linux kernel]]
| ui =                     [[GNOME]]
| working_state =          discontinued
| supported_platforms =    [[x86 architecture]]
| updatemodel =            [[Advanced Packaging Tool|APT]]
| package_manager =        [[dpkg]]
}}
'''Impi Linux''' was a [[South Africa]]n [[Linux distribution]] which focused on the enterprise and government sector. The project name originally referred to [[Impi]] meaning group of warriors in the [[Zulu language]]. In September 2005, [[Mark Shuttleworth]] invested [[South African rand|R]]10 million in return for 65% of Impi Linux.

The project was discontinued in April 2009 after Impi was incorporated and later purchased by [[Business_  Connexion_  Group|Business Connexion]].<ref name="tectonic">http://www.tectonic.co.za/?p=4668</ref>.

==Company history==
Impi Linux has a long history, but has managed to transform from an [[open source]] project into a company. The project started from a discussion on the [[South Africa]]n Gauteng Linux Users Group, GLUG. The first meeting in late 2001 was held at Andre Coetzee's home and got the project off to a slow start with more discussions about the name of the distro than that of its would-be technical merits. Interestingly, one of the names initially put forward was [[Ubuntu (philosophy)|Ubuntu]]. Attendees of the first meeting were: Andre Truter, Ross Addis, then chairman of GLUG, Andre Coetzee of Cubit Accounting, Craig Main, Mischa Capazario, Eugene Grimsdell, Norio De Souza, Andrew McGill, Laurens Steenkamp and others, all members of GLUG.  

Impi Linux's first release, version 1, was released 1 November 2003. A few other companies provided sponsorships in the form of professional media and public relations from MIP Holdings as well as bandwidth and an [[FTP]] mirror from Internet Solutions.{{Citation needed|date=February 2008}}

The first release of Impi Linux was not widely adopted due to many technical faults and an immature installation routine.

(contracted; show full)

In February 2005, the fledgling company set up shop in [[Rosebank, Gauteng|Rosebank]], [[Johannesburg]], at which point Ross Addis joined Impi Linux full-time (although on the Cubit Accounting payroll).
  

In May 2005 Impi Linux exhibited at the first South African [[LinuxWorld Conference and Expo|LinuxWorld]] in [[Johannesburg]] with a sponsorship from Arivia.kom, a South African IT para-statal company.

(contracted; show full)

Impi Linux 2 featured a [[KDE]] interface and a very fast installation procedure (again written in [[PHP]]). The administration panel was placed inside the Cubit Accounting system, which shipped with the distribution.

===Impi Linux 2005===
In March 2005, Impi Linux 2005 was released. It was basically version 2 with major stability and cosmetic changes. Impi Linux 2005 had a unique African theme, which was created by Jonathan Smit, a graphic designer then employed by Impi Linux.
  

Impi Linux released two updates to the 2005 version, UP1 and UP2, between March 2005 and August 2005.

===Duty Free 6.01===
Impi Linux released their latest free public release in January 2006, Impi Linux Duty Free 6.01 and was based on Ubuntu 5.10 Breezy Badger. It featured a [[KDE]] interface on a Live CD. It also featured the first GUI Live CD installer on an Ubuntu system. The installer was a culmination of the previous Impi Linux installation methods, which has now been dropped in favour of the [[ubiquity (software)|Ubuntu Live CD installer]].

===Customised releases===
In June 2005, Impi Linux delivered a customized version of the distribution to [[Exclusive Books]], a large South African book retailer for use on the point of sale terminals. Exclusive Books continue to use the distribution in all of their stores across [[South Africa]] and in [[Botswana]]{{Citation needed|date=November 2009}}.

===7.05===

7.05, based on Ubuntu, was released in May 2007.

==References==
<references/>

==External links==
* [http://www.businessday.co.za/Articles/TarkArticle.aspx?ID=1686132 News of Mark Shuttleworth's investment]
* [http://www.tectonic.co.za/view.php?id=1167 New of the Department of Science and Technology POC]
* [http://www.informit.com/articles/article.aspx?p=1186103&seqNum=2 Official Ubuntu book related Projects]
{{Ubuntu-distro}}
{{Linux-distro}}

[[Category:Ubuntu (operating system) derivatives]]