VA Linux
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Formerly called
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VA Research (1993–1999) VA Linux Systems (1999–2001) VA Software (2001–2007) SourceForge (2007–2009) |
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| Subsidiary of GameStop | |
| Industry | Online media; retail |
| Founded | November 1993 |
| Founder | Larry Augustin & James Vera (VA Research) |
| Headquarters | Fairfax County, Virginia |
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Key people
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Kathryn McCarthy (CEO) |
| Services | ThinkGeek |
| Total assets | 74.2 million USD (unaudited 2008-12-31)EX-99.1 |
| Total equity | 62.6 million USD (unaudited 2008-12-31)EX-99.1 |
| Parent | GameStop (2015–present) |
| Website | geek.net |
Geeknet, Inc. is a Fairfax County, Virginia–based company that owns the online retailer ThinkGeek. Formerly known as VA Research, VA Linux Systems, VA Software, and SourceForge, Inc., it was founded in 1993. It was formerly headquartered in Mountain View, California.
VA Research was founded in November 1993 by Stanford graduate student Larry Augustin and James Vera. Augustin was a Stanford colleague of Jerry Yang and David Filo, the founders of Yahoo!. VA Research built and sold personal computer systems with the Linux operating system installed, as an alternative to more expensive Unix workstations available at the time. At the time they started operations, they were one of the first computer vendors to offer Linux as a pre-installed operating system. During its initial years of operation, the business was profitable and grew quickly, with over $100 million in sales and a 10-percent profit margin in 1998. It was the largest vendor of pre-installed Linux computers, having approximately 20 percent of the Linux hardware market.
In October 1998, the company received investments of $5.4 million ($8 million when adjusted for inflation) from Intel and Sequoia Capital.
In March and April 1999, VA Research purchased Enlightenment Solutions, marketing company Electric Lichen L.L.C., and VA's top competitor, Linux Hardware Solutions. That year, VA Research also won a business-plan competition for the right to operate the linux.com domain. It was rumored that Microsoft and other bidders (Compaq, Red Hat, and HP) had offered more cash for the domain, but lacked detailed plans for its use. In May 1999, VA created a Linux Labs division, hiring former linux.com domain holder and programmer Fred van Kempen, and programmers Jon "maddog" Hall, Geoff "Mandrake" Harrison, Jeremy Allison, Richard Morrell (who would later create Smoothwall as a project at VA Linux) and San "nettwerk" Mehat. In the summer of 1999 programmers Tony "fusion94" Guntharp, Uriah Welcome, Tim Perdue and Drew Streib began designing and developing SourceForge. SourceForge was released to the public at Comdex on 17 November 1999. VA began porting Linux to the new IA-64 processor architecture in earnest. Intel and Sequoia, along with Silicon Graphics and other investors, added an additional $25 million ($37 million adjusted for inflation) investment in June 1999. By then, VA planned to change its name to VA Linux Systems and conduct an initial public offering of its stock.
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