Blue Systems
German IT company
title: "Blue Systems" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["kde", "software-companies-of-germany"] description: "German IT company" topic_path: "geography/germany" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Systems" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary German IT company ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox company"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Blue Systems |
| type | GmbH |
| genre | |
| foundation | |
| founder | Clemens Tönnies, Jr. |
| defunct | |
| location_city | Bielefeld |
| location_country | Germany |
| area_served | Worldwide |
| industry | Free software |
| * Maui{{cite web | url |
| * Netrunner{{cite web | url |
| * openDesktop.org<ref name | "openDesktop-Phoronix"/ |
| owner | Clemens Tönnies, Jr. |
| homepage | |
| :: |
| name = Blue Systems | logo = | caption = | type = GmbH | traded_as = | genre = | fate = | predecessor = | successor = | foundation = | founder = Clemens Tönnies, Jr. | defunct = | location_city = Bielefeld | location_country = Germany | locations = | area_served = Worldwide | key_people = | industry = Free software | products =
- Maui
- Netrunner
- openDesktop.org
- Previously: Kubuntu | production = | services = | revenue = | operating_income = | net_income = | assets = | equity = | owner = Clemens Tönnies, Jr. | num_employees = | parent = | divisions = | subsid = | homepage = | footnotes = | intl =
Blue Systems is a German IT company. It is most prominent as a major KDE supporter and previous driving force behind Kubuntu with a number of KDE developers working for Blue Systems. According to Blue Systems employee Aurélien Gâteau, "Blue Systems does not have a business model, at least for now". |url=http://www.golem.de/news/clemens-toennies-der-neue-philanthrop-hinter-kubuntu-1207-93009.html |language = German |title=Clemens Tönnies: Der neue Philanthrop hinter Kubuntu |publisher=Golem.de |date= |accessdate=2012-10-08}}
Background
Blue Systems was founded by German businessman Clemens Tönnies Jr. He is a son of the deceased Bernd Tönnies who founded meat production heavyweight Tönnies Lebensmittel in 1971.{{cite web |url=http://www.nw-news.de/lokale_news/guetersloh/guetersloh/7031332_Familienstreit_laehmt_Schlachtkonzern.html |title=RHEDA-WIEDENBRÜCK: Familienstreit bei Tönnies lähmt Schlachtkonzern |publisher=Neue Westfälische |date= |language=German |accessdate=2012-10-08 |archive-date=2012-09-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120926054536/http://www.nw-news.de/lokale_news/guetersloh/guetersloh/7031332_Familienstreit_laehmt_Schlachtkonzern.html |url-status=dead |author=HDNET GmbH & Co. KG |url=http://www.toennies.com/about-toennies.html |title=About Tönnies Lebensmittel GmbH & Co. KG |publisher=Toennies.com |date= |accessdate=2012-10-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190209141555/https://www.toennies.com/about-toennies.html |archive-date=2019-02-09 |url-status=dead |url=http://www.nw-news.de/owl/regionale_wirtschaft/4250262_Toennies_will_weiter_wachsen.html |title=Tönnies steigert Umsatz auf 4,3 Milliarden Euro |publisher=Neue Westfälische |language = German |date=2011-02-16 |accessdate=2012-10-08}}
German IT website Golem.de did a feature about Tönnies Jr. in July 2012. According to the feature, Tönnies Jr. studied computer science, was 36 years old at the time of publication, and was described as a philanthropist.
History
Blue Systems became first known as creator of Ubuntu/Kubuntu-based Linux distribution Netrunner whose first release was in March 2010.{{cite web |author=Clemens Tönnies Jr. (using Starbuck as alias) |url=http://www.netrunner-os.com/hello-world/ |title=Netrunner 1.0 (Albedo) |publisher=Netrunner-os.com |date=2010-03-18 |accessdate=2012-10-08 |archive-date=2013-01-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130106112211/http://www.netrunner-os.com/hello-world/ |url-status=dead
In February 2012, Clement Lefebvre of Ubuntu/Kubuntu-based Linux Mint announced that Blue Systems would become a sponsor to help Mint's KDE edition. |url=http://blog.linuxmint.com/?p=1913 |title=Linux Mint signs a partnership with Blue Systems |publisher=Linux Mint |date=2012-01-07}} |url=http://www.h-online.com/open/news/item/Blue-Systems-becomes-Linux-Mint-partner-and-sponsor-1405936.html |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120116154017/http://www.h-online.com/open/news/item/Blue-Systems-becomes-Linux-Mint-partner-and-sponsor-1405936.html |archivedate=16 January 2012 |title=Blue Systems becomes Linux Mint partner and sponsor |publisher=H-online.com |date=2012-01-09}}
After Canonical Ltd. stepped down as the main sponsor of Kubuntu in February 2012, |url=https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/kubuntu-devel/2012-February/005782.html |title=Kubuntu Status |publisher=Lists.ubuntu.com |date=2012-02-06}} Blue Systems stepped into that role in April 2012. |url=http://www.kubuntu.org/news/kubuntu-to-be-sponsored-by-blue-systems |title=Kubuntu to be Sponsored by Blue Systems |publisher=Kubuntu |date=2012-04-10}}
In 2012, Blue Systems gained more attention by hiring at least nine KDE developers. |url=http://isemenov.blogspot.de/2012/02/folderview-fixes-part-i.html |title=Polishing KDE: FolderView Fixes Part I |author=Ignat Semenov |date=2012-02-20}} |author=Shaun Reich (sreich) |url=http://sreich.blogspot.de/2012/03/runners-internets-youtube-both.html |title=Runners? Internets? YouTube? Both |date=2012-03-07 |accessdate=2012-10-08 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130330180240/http://sreich.blogspot.de/2012/03/runners-internets-youtube-both.html |archivedate=2013-03-30 |url=http://www.proli.net/2012/04/27/explore-applications-with-muon-discover/ |title=Explore applications with Muon Discover |website=TheBlindCow |date=2012-04-27 |accessdate=2012-10-08}} |url=http://www.afiestas.org/joining-the-blue/ |title=Joining the Blue |author=Àlex Fiestas |date=2012-06-04 |accessdate=2012-10-08 |archive-date=2012-09-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120906061418/http://www.afiestas.org/joining-the-blue/ |url-status=dead |author=Vishesh Handa |url=http://vhanda.in/blog/2012/07/a-few-updates/ |title=A few updates |date=2012-07-24 |accessdate=2012-10-08 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130329014839/http://vhanda.in/blog/2012/07/a-few-updates/ |archivedate=2013-03-29 |url=https://kshadeslayer.wordpress.com/2012/07/25/joining-blue-systems/ |title=Joining Blue Systems |website= shadeslayer's Blog |date=2012-07-25 |accessdate=2012-10-08}} |url=https://jontheechidna.wordpress.com/2012/08/19/blue-systems-the-muon-suite-and-kubuntu/ |title=Blue Systems, the Muon Suite, and Kubuntu |website=Jonathan's Blog |date=2012-08-19 |accessdate=2012-10-08}} |url=http://martys.typepad.com/blog/2012/08/kde-telepathy-05-released.html |title=KDE Telepathy 0.5 released |website= Marty's typepad |date=2012-08-29 |accessdate=2012-10-08}} Among the hired KDE developers are former Canonical employees Jonathan Riddell and Aurélien Gâteau, who joined in April 2012, |url=http://agateau.com/2012/04/11/into-the-blue/ |title=Into the blue |author=Aurélien Gâteau |date=2012-04-11 |accessdate=2012-10-08}} as well as long-time KWin developer Martin Grässlin who announced in October 2012 to switch to Blue Systems to work full-time on KWin beginning January 2013. |url=http://blog.martin-graesslin.com/blog/2012/10/kwin-hacking/ |title=KWin Hacking++ |website= Martin’s Blog |author=Martin Grässlin |date=2012-10-07 |accessdate=2012-10-08}}
On 13 January 2016, openDesktop.org founder Frank Karlitschek announced that his company hive01 GmbH along with openDesktop.org and related web sites has been bought by Blue Systems. |url=https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=OpenDesktop-Acquired |title=OpenDesktop.org Acquired By KDE-Loving Blue Systems |publisher=Phoronix}} |url=http://karlitschek.de/2016/01/opendesktop-org-changes/ |title= openDesktop.org changes|author=Frank Karlitschek}} |url=http://karlitschek.de/2016/01/opendesktop-org-15-years-in-review/|title= openDesktop.org. 15 years in review |author=Frank Karlitschek}} Later that year, in September 2016, KDE e.V. announced that the former openDesktop.org site "kde-look.org" now operates under KDE's umbrella as KDE Store, operated by Blue Systems’ “sister company” Pling GmbH.{{cite web |url=https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=KDE-Software-Store |title=KDE Software Store Announced, AGPL Licensed |publisher=Phoronix}} |url=https://dot.kde.org/2016/09/03/kde-software-store |title=KDE Software Store |date=3 September 2016 |publisher=KDE |author = Jonathan Riddel}}
References
References
- (14 August 2016). "Ubuntu based Netrunner becomes Maui Linux". netrunner.com.
- "Netrunner". netrunner.com.
- "Landgericht Bielefeld: Wende bei Tönnies: Onkel und Neffe stimmen Mediation zu". [[T-Online]].
::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::