The Linutop is a small, light, environmentally friendly

nettop A mini PC (or miniature PC, nettop, or Smart Micro PC) is a small-sized, inexpensive, low-power, Legacy free PC, legacy-free desktop computer, desktop computer designed for basic tasks such as Web navigation, web browsing, accessing web appl ...

computer containing a metal case and no

moving parts Machines include both fixed and moving parts. The moving parts have controlled and constrained motions. Moving parts are machine components excluding any moving fluids, such as fuel, coolant or hydraulic fluid. Moving parts also do not include ...

, that runs the Linutop OS (a customized version of

Linux Linux ( ) is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an kernel (operating system), operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991, by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically package manager, pac ...

based on the Xubuntu and

Ubuntu Ubuntu ( ) is a Linux distribution based on Debian and composed primarily of free and open-source software. Developed by the British company Canonical (company), Canonical and a community of contributors under a Meritocracy, meritocratic gover ...

XFCE Xfce or XFCE (pronounced as four individual letters, ) is a Free and open-source software, free and open-source desktop environment for Linux and other Unix-like operating systems. Xfce aims to be fast and Lightweight software, lightweight whil ...

distribution). It is sold by Linutop SAS of

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, France. Linutop Kiosk

software Software consists of computer programs that instruct the Execution (computing), execution of a computer. Software also includes design documents and specifications. The history of software is closely tied to the development of digital comput ...

and Linutop Tv

server Server may refer to: Computing *Server (computing), a computer program or a device that provides requested information for other programs or devices, called clients. Role * Waiting staff, those who work at a restaurant or a bar attending custome ...

offer a full Digital signage solution. A variety of QT applications oriented towards secure web browsing and

digital signage Digital signage is a segment of electronic signage that uses Electronic visual display, digital display technologies to present multimedia content in both public and private environments. Content may include video, images, text, or interactive me ...

are available in the

Operating system An operating system (OS) is system software that manages computer hardware and software resources, and provides common daemon (computing), services for computer programs. Time-sharing operating systems scheduler (computing), schedule tasks for ...

. Linutop is multimedia-capable and offers line-out/mic-in for sound. The device can be configured easily into a LTSP

thin client In computer networking, a thin client, sometimes called slim client or lean client, is a simple (low-Computer performance, performance) computer that has been Program optimization, optimized for Remote desktop, establishing a remote connectio ...

. Linutop is suited for use in internet cafés, public libraries and schools.

History

Linutop 1

The first device was based on the ThinCan reference design from

Estonia Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia, is a country in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, and to the east by Ru ...

n company Artec Group.

Linutop 2

On February 20, 2008, the company unveiled the Linutop 2 based on the FIC ION A603 mini PC (like Works Everywhere Appliance). Linutop 2 had a stronger

Geode A geode (; ) is a geology, geological secondary formation within sedimentary rock, sedimentary and volcanic rocks. Geodes are hollow, vaguely spherical rocks, in which masses of mineral matter (which may include crystals) are secluded. The crys ...

processor and more memory, allowing it to run

OpenOffice.org OpenOffice.org (OOo), commonly known as OpenOffice, is a discontinued open-source office suite. Active successor projects include LibreOffice (the most actively developed) and Collabora Online, with Apache OpenOffice being considered mostly d ...

. It has 512 MB RAM and 1 GB

flash memory Flash memory is an Integrated circuit, electronic Non-volatile memory, non-volatile computer memory storage medium that can be electrically erased and reprogrammed. The two main types of flash memory, NOR flash and NAND flash, are named for t ...

storage.

Hardware

Specifications

Linutop XS

The Linutop XS is the smallest computer offered by Linutop. Due to its small size, and the absence of fan making it very silent, it is often hidden behind the dynamic display screens by professionals. The compact Linutop XS comes in a small aluminum case with dimensions 9 cm × 6 cm × 2 cm (3.5 in × 2.3 in × 0.8 in) for a weight of 92 grams (3 oz) and a power consumption of 3 watts. On board, there is a processor running at 900 MHz, a RAM of 1 GB and an 8 GB

. Connectors: HDMI, mini-jack audio,

RJ-45 A modular connector is a type of electrical connector for cords and cables of electronic devices and appliances, such as in computer networking, telecommunication equipment, and audio headsets. Modular connectors were originally developed for ...

Ethernet Ethernet ( ) is a family of wired computer networking technologies commonly used in local area networks (LAN), metropolitan area networks (MAN) and wide area networks (WAN). It was commercially introduced in 1980 and first standardized in 198 ...

, four

USB 2.0 Universal Serial Bus (USB) is an industry standard, developed by USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF), for digital data transmission and power delivery between many types of electronics. It specifies the architecture, in particular the physical i ...

, 5-volt micro USB power. The Linutop XS is a professional packaging of the

Raspberry Pi Raspberry Pi ( ) is a series of small single-board computers (SBCs) developed in the United Kingdom by the Raspberry Pi Foundation in collaboration with Broadcom Inc., Broadcom. To commercialize the product and support its growing demand, the ...

2 and incorporates a

1080p 1080p (1920 × 1080 progressively displayed pixels; also known as Full HD or FHD, and BT.709) is a set of HDTV high-definition video modes characterized by 1,920 pixels displayed across the screen horizontally and 1,080 pixels down the sc ...

HD video Hardware accelerator. With this compact configuration, designed for the fields of education, transport, trade and health for the dissemination of information.

Linutop 6

Linutop 6 is the most powerful Linutop. The Linutop 6 microcomputer is in the form of a small fanless metal case with dimensions 9.5 cm × 9.1 cm × 3.6 cm (3.7 in × 3.6 in × 1.4 in) for a weight of 350 grams (12 oz) and an energy consumption of 14 watts. On board, there is an Intel ATOM x5-Z8350 processor, a 2 GB RAM and a 16 GB flash memory. Connectors: HDMI, RJ-45 Ethernet, four USB 2.0, 5-volt power supply. With this configuration, the Linutop 6 computer targets a varied use where compactness and power are required.

Linutop OS

Linutop Kiosk

Linutop Kiosk is a software in Linutop OS that allows you to easily configure: * A secure Internet access point. * A dynamic display, multi-format (photos, HD videos, MP3, web pages, music, PDF ...)

Linutop OS 14.04 for PC

Linutop OS 14.04 is based on Xubuntu /

It contains features designed for business use cases: * Firefox 44, Libre Office 4, et VLC 2, Terminal server client, pdf viewer, GNU Paint, Mirage, Archive Manager, VNC,

Gedit gedit ( or ) is a text editor designed for the GNOME desktop environment. It was GNOME's default text editor and part of the GNOME Core Applications until GNOME version 42 in March 2022, which changed the default text editor to GNOME Text Edi ...

Samba Samba () is a broad term for many of the rhythms that compose the better known Brazilian music genres that originated in the Afro-Brazilians, Afro Brazilian communities of Bahia in the late 19th century and early 20th century, It is a name or ...

* Internet kiosk : Full screen, toolbar management, white/blacklist management. * Display kiosk : user can define a playlist loop of URLs, photos, video and

PDF Portable document format (PDF), standardized as ISO 32000, is a file format developed by Adobe Inc., Adobe in 1992 to present documents, including text formatting and images, in a manner independent of application software, computer hardware, ...

* Configuration panel allows the user to "lock" the configuration, to backup or restore on bootable USB Key. * size 850 MB for USB key, hard drive or flash memory * minimum PC requirements : PIII 800 MHz, 512 MB RAM

Linutop OS XS for Raspberry Pi

Linutop OS XS is based on Raspbian /

It contains features designed for business use cases: * Epiphany web browser, Libre Office 3, et VLC 2 (with

hardware acceleration Hardware acceleration is the use of computer hardware designed to perform specific functions more efficiently when compared to software running on a general-purpose central processing unit (CPU). Any transformation of data that can be calcula ...

), Terminal server client, pdf viewer,

GNU Paint GNU Paint, otherwise known as Gpaint, is a raster graphics editor similar to Microsoft Paint. It is free software under the terms of the GPL-3.0-or-later license and is part of the GNU Project. Overview Features of gpaint include: * Drawing to ...

, Mirage, Archive Manager, VNC, Gedit, Samba * Internet kiosk : Full screen, toolbar management, white/blacklist management. * Display kiosk : user can define a playlist loop of URLs, photos, video and PDF * Configuration panel allows the user to "lock" the configuration, to configure the graphics. * size 2900 MB for

microSD Secure Digital (SD) is a proprietary hardware, proprietary, non-volatile memory, non-volatile, flash memory card format developed by the SD Association (SDA). Owing to their compact size, SD cards have been widely adopted in a variety of port ...

flash memory * Raspberry Pi compatibility : Zero, Zero W, A, A+, B, B+, 2, 3
demo version
of Linutop OS is available for free Also available in NOOBS format.

Linutop TV

Linutop tv has been designed to manage a network of connected digital signage screens and allows centralized management via an

HTTP HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) is an application layer protocol in the Internet protocol suite model for distributed, collaborative, hypermedia information systems. HTTP is the foundation of data communication for the World Wide Web, wher ...

interface. Each screens needs a player (PC, Raspberry Pi, or Linutop Mini PC), running Linutop Kiosk software, connected to the server in order to update display content automatically. Linutop tv is a server solution available in two versions: * SaaS (or "cloud") server: accessible via Internet. * Private (local) server: works on the local network. This solution is often used in corporations intranet. It offers maximum security.

References

Linutop XS introduction

External links

Linutop WikiLinutop VideoFIC ION A603 mini PCLinutop 2 Mini PC review - TrustedReviewsLinutops fanless linux pc review - SlashgearTiny Linutop 3 computer - TechnabobLinutop 5 fanless mini linux desktop - Ubergizmo

Sources

Linutop Blog