System 76 Makes Linux Systems Real

I’m not saying that Linux computers aren’t real now. They certainly are, but to people who are willing to work to get them to work 100% and enjoy hacking the kernel. The Linux lappy which works out of the box has been the holy grail of the Free/Open Source Software (FOSS) industry for years. Some have pulled off vague shadows of success, but it took System 76 to come along and Apple-ize the process. Imagine going to their website, picking through their wide selection of laptops, desktops, nettops, and servers, selecting what you want, getting it, and using it right after pulling it out of the box. That’s what you do with a System 76 machine, and here’s the kicker: The Ubuntu 9.04 preinstalled on these machines is 100% STOCK!

That’s what killed earlier attempts. The Linux distro that came on the machine was the only one which would work with the hardware and it was heavily patched. With System 76 this is no longer the case, and they are proud of it. They handpick the components they use for their hardware specifically because it offers full support for Ubuntu out of the box. They don’t just buy the cheapest crap components. They also nicely brand their systems, especially the laptops. Some models come with nice, large Ubuntu logos on them and each and everyone of them sports an Ubuntu key instead of a Windows key. For the nerds out there, where they can System 76 installs the 64-bit version of Ubuntu 9.04 instead of the safe and weasel-ish 32-bit. 

Hardware options abound, as well, even for the laptops. You can select from a wide range of processors, displays, hard drives, and memory and the prices are far more reasonable than you would expect. Of course, they do offer some bleeding edge options which cost a great deal more, but you don’t have to get them. System 76’s Pangolin 15.4″ laptop starts at US$759 and can run up to US$3,354 with all of the swank, high end options added on, and that includes a 2.93GHz Core 2 Duo, 8GBs of RAM, a 160GB solid state drive, case, two power supplies, two batteries, and much more. Get a more mainstream set up with 2.4GHz Core 2 Duo, 4GBs of RAM, a 500GB platter drive, and add a car adapter and you get a far more reasonable US$1,194 price tag. 

If you’re sick of Microsoft, crappy PC hardware, and weasels who can’t admit when they’ve broken something, but can’t validate the cost of an Apple product, the System 76 might just be your thing. If you’re already into Linux, this may be the wrong direction for you. If you think that the entire world of computers has a Microsoft label on it, though, you may be barking up the wrong tree. Most Linux people I know thrive on the almost constant challenge of working with a system that corporations don’t want to succeed. That, however, is for another editorial. The general point is that, if you work with Linux, System 76 is your new vendor.