System76's Much-Anticipated Open Source 'Thelio' Linux Computer Will Be Available To Pre-Order Starting Next Month, But Shipping Date and Specs Remain Unclear (betanews.com)

Brian Fagioli, writing for BetaNews: When you buy a System76 computer today, you aren't buying a machine manufactured by the company. Instead, the company works with other makers to obtain laptops, which it then loads with a Linux-based operating system -- Ubuntu or its own Pop!_OS. There's nothing really wrong with this practice, but still, System76 wants to do better. The company is currently working to manufacture its own computers ("handcrafted") right here in the USA. By doing this, System76 controls the entire customer experience -- software, service, and hardware.

This week, the company announces that the fruits of its labor -- an "open-source computer" -- will be available to pre-order in October. Now, keep in mind, this does not mean the desktop will be available next month. Hell, it may not even be sold in 2018. With that said, pre-ordering will essentially allow you to reserve your spot. To celebrate the upcoming computer, System76 is launching a clever animated video marketing campaign.

Comments

Open-source hardware, eh?

[Anonymous Coward]

Yeah, sure. If this is anything but hype and PR bullshit, I'll be *very* surprised.

Re:Open-source hardware, eh?

[AmiMoJo]

TFA has zero information, the website (thel.io) has no details. What is this thing?

x86 and CoreBoot/LibreBoot? RISC-V?

Re: Open-source hardware, eh?

[kenh]

It's a computer assembled from foreign-manufactured parts in America! By hand! It's a desktop! And it runs Linux!

What else could you possibly need to know?

Interesting to note that Linux enjoys a less than 5% market share among end-users, the desktop is a dying form-factor, and paying people a US wage to plug foreign-made components (where are MB, HD, RAM, CPU, video card, power supply made?) into a 'handcrafted' system sounds expensive, not cheap.

Then again, no one ever accused Linux users as cheap, did they?

Re:Open-source hardware, eh?

[Anonymous Coward]

What is this thing?

A scam.

Re:Open-source hardware, eh?

[Anonymous Coward]

It's gonna be a computer that runs on SJW tears and Linus' farts.

Re:Open-source hardware, eh?

[Anonymous Coward]

System76 is good at marketing. Just remember this. It's ALWAYS propaganda. Slashdot is good at picking up on the propaganda from Apple, Dell, System76, and a few other companies selling "Linux". The reality is there have only been a handful of stories that have been genuine over the years and worth reporting on. System76's systems are actually pretty shitty. Not in terms of build quality- but in terms of support. They don't understand what is essential to ensuring that the Linux developers can actually integrate proper support for the hardware and so they end up shipping "drivers" that are basically just hacks. Good luck switching distributions or upgrading to a newer release. Chances are it won't work properly.

Re:Open-source hardware, eh?

[Narcocide]

I think for the purposes of marketing, System76 is re-defining the meaning of "open-source computer" here to mean merely a computer that does't have any components which require closed-source/proprietary drivers or firmware.

If they can even succeed at that much without muddying the waters further with lies and half-truths I will commend them and perhaps buy one. As a US citizen however, the thing here that gives me the biggest cause for suspicion is the claim that these computers will be manufactured in the US.

Re: Open-source hardware, eh?

[Narcocide]

Then again, no one ever accused Linux users as cheap, did they?

Sarcasm detected. But the adage is generally wrong, except for in the case of beginning Linux users still living with their parents and learning Linux for the first time with the only hardware they have available. Generally speaking, people who continue to use it into adulthood instead of going screaming back to Microsoft or Apple, soon join a demographic of people who spend the most total on computer hardware, even if few of these purchases are conspicuous high-budget laptops.

Re: Open-source hardware, eh?

[Narcocide]

...even if few of these purchases are conspicuous high-budget laptops.

And it is probably important to note here that these aren't people who are opposed to spending a lot of money, or having nice things. They're opposed to spending $5,000 on a computer that can't even run Linux and the manufacturer will obsolete prematurely after only 1.5 to 2 years.

Re: Open-source hardware, eh?

[kenh]

Ask any Linux zealot about Linux, and 9 times out of 10* one of the first features they'll cite is how it runs great on older hardware...

*WAG, not a statistical fact.

Re:Open-source hardware, eh?

[Narcocide]

Spoiler alert: It's just going to be a rebranded Thinkpad with a different audio and networking devices.

Re: Open-source hardware, eh?

[Anonymous Coward]

Yeah, it's actually 11

Re:Open-source hardware, eh?

[Anonymous Coward]

I agree S76 is good marketing, shitty service. But as for "hacks", well my S76 laptop runs Slackware just fine. No ad-hoc hacks in the standard install AFAIK.

Re:Open-source hardware, eh?

[Anonymous Coward]

Yeah screw that sh*t. Your next laptop will run on frat-boy jiz and comatose preppy-girl ass-queefs!

Re: Open-source hardware, eh?

[Anonymous Coward]

And... whilst this may have been an economically viable option a few months ago, with the new tariffs on components coming into the US to be assembled... well... add on 25% to the pricing and watch the potential market swing towards zero. Sorry, US blue-collar workforce, but that's what the tariffs are doing.
Advice? assemble overseas in a country with Most Favored Nation status!

Re: Open-source hardware, eh?

[jpaine619]

Cheap? The 500 most expensive and powerful supercomputers on the planet run Linux.. Linux has a 100% market share of those machines... So no, not all Linux users are cheap.. Linux users actually purchase and use machines that cost hundreds of millions of dollars each.. What's your big contribution? $2K? oooooh.. slow down big spender....

Who cares what percentage of the desktop it has? The Linux project is, and will remain, viable for the foreseeable future. If System76 thinks there is a market for US assembled Linux computers, why does it concern you if they give it a go? Their experiment will cost you nothing...

While it is true that desktop sales are slowing, it's not a huge drop off.. They aren't going from 100,000,000 units to nothing.. The change from 2017 to 2018 was 97 million to 94 million units.. (Laptop sales actually increased during the same time frame)

Linux also has a, roughly, 55% share of the internet server market... So yeah.. it's a viable OS.

Re:Open-source hardware, eh?

[jpaine619]

I get that concern.. but, what's the alternative? China? There have been plenty of reports of them forcing manufacturers to put in backdoors in the hardware...

At this point it seems to be impossible to purchase anything for a computer that hasn't been altered to permit spying..

I remember an interview with Torvalds where he basically confirmed that he had been approached by the NSA to put a backdoor in Linux..

Re:Open-source hardware, eh?

[cyn1c77]

Will it be like Shinola?

Made elsewhere, but assembled in the USA?

Re: Open-source hardware, eh?

[Anonymous Coward]

Why would you lie? Go look at the list again. There are a number of Windows machine within the first 500. Hell, thereâ(TM)s a Windows machine in the top 10.

Re: Open-source hardware, eh?

[Anonymous Coward]

I dare you to find one top 500 cluster that runs Windows more than 20% of the time.
Microsoft gives away their OS for free if people say it runs Windows. Most just boot it up to run benchmarks, the run Linux 100% of the time.

Re: Open-source hardware, eh?

[Anonymous Coward]

Generally speaking, people who continue to use it into adulthood instead of going screaming back to Microsoft or Apple, soon join a demographic of people who spend the most total on computer hardware, even if few of these purchases are conspicuous high-budget laptops.

What demographic is that? And how do you come to that conclusion?

Re: Open-source hardware, eh?

[Anonymous Coward]

I can only hope for RISCV64 or at least SMP multi-core MIPS or ARM, or even better, SMP multi-core ultraSPARC T1/T2, or maybe the open source POWER8/POWER9....

Re: Open-source hardware, eh?

[Tyger-ZA]

...people who spend the most total on computer hardware, even if few of these purchases are conspicuous high-budget laptops.

And it is probably important to note here that these aren't people who are opposed to spending a lot of money, or having nice things. They're opposed to spending $5,000 on a computer that can't even run Linux and the manufacturer will obsolete prematurely after only 1.5 to 2 years.

Anecdotal evidence, but can confirm. I have NEVER bought a laptop for myself, the only laptops I've ever used were provided by my employer (typically Lenovo, HP or Mac)

I have however been buying high end desktop PCs, for example my current 8 Core desktop was bought back in 2013 when most people only had 4 cores, and it has been serving me well for 5 years now, with some upgrades through the years such as GPU, SSD or RAM.

I'm already planning my next build which would involve whatever Zen2 based upgrade to the Threadripper 2950X is released next year, and I'd expect to keep that for another ~5 years. I would have bought the 2950X but I'm waiting for next years Threadripper so that the Spectre fixes are included.

Re: Open-source hardware, eh?

[Anonymous Coward]

You can’t make spending 100% of the budget on hardware and operations, but 0% on software not look cheap, and it looks even worse with really big numbers...

The worlds biggest escalator probably costs a fortune but carries either dirt or garbage all day. It’s brag worthy, but not for the reason you think.

Re: Open-source hardware, eh?

[Anonymous Coward]

Cheap? The 500 most expensive and powerful supercomputers on the planet run Linux.. Linux has a 100% market share of those machines... So no, not all Linux users are cheap.. Linux users actually purchase and use machines that cost hundreds of millions of dollars each.. What's your big contribution? $2K? oooooh.. slow down big spender....

Who cares what percentage of the desktop it has? The Linux project is, and will remain, viable for the foreseeable future. If System76 thinks there is a market for US assembled Linux computers, why does it concern you if they give it a go? Their experiment will cost you nothing...

While it is true that desktop sales are slowing, it's not a huge drop off.. They aren't going from 100,000,000 units to nothing.. The change from 2017 to 2018 was 97 million to 94 million units.. (Laptop sales actually increased during the same time frame)

Linux also has a, roughly, 55% share of the internet server market... So yeah.. it's a viable OS.

the past many years have been the year of linux :-)

but yes.. you are right

Re:Open-source hardware, eh?

[Narcocide]

The best information I can gather from 3rd parties on this suggests gambling that China's backdoors are only interested in spying on the Chineese, and if you swap in reverse-engineered firmware it is unlikely to work on you and their profit margins on the devices are too slim to justify expanding the scope of their existing surveillance capabilities by trying to remotely re-enable any such features in rooted devices.

Re: Open-source hardware, eh?

[jpaine619]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Operating_systems_used_on_top_500_supercomputers.svg

I used that as my reference.

Re: Open-source hardware, eh?

[jpaine619]

Well... it is the dominant OS on Earth (Android, Top500, Internet Servers).. When would you consider it the "year of Linux"?

Re: Open-source hardware, eh?

[MMC Monster]

Then again, no one ever accused Linux users as cheap, did they?

I'll say it. I'm cheap when it comes to computers. I want a computer that will just work and keep working for years. Something that is cheap for me to fix or upgrade when I need something better.

And that's why I buy System76 hardware. I know that it will work with any Linux OS I throw at it, even 10+ years later. Because it's made for Linux. No need to worry about crappy hardware that needs drivers that are no longer available on the manufacturer's website.

My time is expensive (well, not that expensive. I obviously have time for /.), and I don't want to waste it reinstalling an OS over the course of days because the hardware needs to be coddled in order to work with the OS.

It's all about total cost of ownership.

When I upgrade the OS I pop the USB in, answer a few questions about partitioning and administrative user and network names, and the install is done 15 minutes later.

The most anticipated...by almost nobody

[Anonymous Coward]

A product that barely anybody knows about and less people actually care about is not a âoemost anticipated âoe anything.

Is not even a product yet. It is vaporware of something you can already buy with a different name on it.

So spare us the letrine claim about âoemost anticipatedâ

christ its all over the map

[nimbius]

Put on your waders because the website for Thelio is an absolute marketing shit-wreck of CSS and HTML5. the only thing youll find is a cartoon hosted at Vimeo prattling on about broken space robots?

At the presser, the ominous is stated

Please note: The article previously referred to Thelio as a laptop, but it is actually a desktop.

so what the hell are you making besides noise, system76? why is "open-source computer" in scarequotes??

Re:christ its all over the map

[Anonymous Coward]

so what the hell are you making besides noise, system76? why is "open-source computer" in scarequotes??

What are these so-called ""scarequotes"" you have in quotes?
Now, I can understand my post with """scarequotes""" can be misinterpreted as slighting the parent's post. But I do want to point out that when I stated """"scarequotes"""", I was trying to make a point about the misinterpretation of """"scarequotes"""".

Now, I bet some maybe wondering why I put """""scarequotes""""" in quotes. It's just that, I don't want """scarequotes""" to mean the same as """"scarequotes"""".

Now all this """"""scarequotes"""""" above, is pointing out that """""""scarequotes"""""" is quite over used and I mean to be to some, "sarcastic".

Re:christ its all over the map

[Anonymous Coward]

I *think* we're talking about "journalistic license", even if it's in "poor "style"".

Better be user-fixable

[MikeRT]

No soldered-on memory, storage, battery, etc. I am tempted to get an Alienware for that reason. I cynically expected them to have no replaceable battery, but they do. All you have to do is take a few screws off the bottom and there you go. Battery can be popped out and replaced.

Re:Better be user-fixable

[Anonymous Coward]

Cool story, gramps. You need to get running along, though. Matlock is coming on soon and the nurses at the home need to make sure all the onions are still tied to your belt.

Re:Better be user-fixable

[urbanriot]

Gramps? Why do you assume he's old? Because he has the motivation to take equipment apart and repair it? I realize millennials get a bad rap for their lack of motivation, work ethic, and self-repair but I hear good things about Generation Z so it's possible he's a young one with a parent that owns a brand new HP ProBook, HP EliteBook, or similar brand / series of notebook which doesn't follow Apple's 'let's solder everything on board and charge $700 to replace a solid state drive because it's soldered onto the mainboard".

Re: Better be user-fixable

[kenh]

Calm down, it's a desktop.

Selling to the freeloaders

[Anonymous Coward]

I'm surprised they are still in business at all...

Re:The most anticipated...by almost nobody

[Anonymous Coward]

Did they change the headline? It says "Much Anticipated", not "Most Anticipated" for me. Also, to be fair, it doesn't say by whom.

I never understood the reason for Linux system integrators (like VA Systems back in the day) myself, since only small businesses might actually care and want to spend the extra money, and they don't buy Linux. Personally, since I'm stuck on laptops right now, I always just buy the cheapest laptop that barely meets my current needs, and hope for the best. One look at System76's web site turns me off: nVidia is the most closed hardware you can buy. My current Dell Inspiron P32E002 with AMD APU works just fine, although I wish I could get a better bag for a 17.1" laptop, and I don't really see what the point of the Topaz GPU is (it's no faster than the APU's Carrizo, and probably just sucks battery power for no reason).

What do they even do?

[Brama]

Clicked around for a couple of minutes to figure out what exactly it is that they do, other then slapping some linux distro on laptops or desktops. Didn't get any wiser.

Re:What do they even do?

[Desler]

They rebadge Clevo desktops and laptops and put a Linux install on it.

Re:What do they even do?

[Anonymous Coward]

They could be doing something of value- like selecting to build systems off reference designs and components that can be properly supported by the Linux development community, like a handful of other Linux vendors, but no. Instead they choose to simply brand laptops that don't have proper support and add little to no value for the customer. In fact what they do is a disservice to our community because they make people think they are getting a properly support Linux laptop when in fact the software developers aren't able to support there systems properly under Linux. Why do you think they started shipping PopOS! Whatever they claim it isn't the reality. They can't properly support the components and so they have hacks that the package up and advertise as a "driver" to make things look as though they are half-supported when you get the system. It's not though on anything other than there own shitty distribution and Ubuntu (or they did yesteryear). These shitty decisions by them result in components that stop working when you go to upgrade (if they even work when you get the laptop!). I prefer to spend my money elsewhere. There are a few companies selling properly supported laptops that are supported across distributions and releases.

Re:What do they even do?

[Narcocide]

That is pretty much all they do, but selecting hardware that is known to work in Linux (even if it requires proprietary drivers/firmware to accomplish) is the one thing that escapes the majority of entry level Linux users. It is literally the single biggest cause of people failing to adopt Linux. So, it may not seem like a lot, but it is something that few people can do, apparently.

Re:What do they even do?

[Truekaiser]

Until the gpu started to die, my system76 laptop had no problem running gentoo. the only thing i could not do was flash the firmware.

Re:What do they even do?

[Anonymous Coward]

They sell laptops that have Linux installed on them and provide support. They made sure all the pain points with Linux laptops are taken care of (hibernate working properly for example).

Re:What do they even do?

[bonius_rex]

IIRC, they are trying to get away from re-badging Clevo hardware. They recently built some sort of factory to manufacture some things in house. I saw them on Twitter setting up a powder-coating apparatus.

Pop_OS! Seriously??

[Anonymous Coward]

What retard came up with that name.

Re:Pop_OS! Seriously??

[nukenerd]

What retard came up with that name [Pop_OS!].

They didn't. They came up with Pop!_OS. That's much more sensible.

Re:Pop_OS! Seriously??

[Anonymous Coward]

Probably the same dumbass who came up with "The Gimp."

System76 is misleading consumers with this claim

[Anonymous Coward]

Everybody utilizes third parties to design and manufacture because the costs of designing and manufacturing laptops and other electronics devices is astronomical. 100,000 units is a "small run". System76 is acting like Purism with misleading or fraudulent claims and can't even figure out how to ship a properly working system using parts manufactured by others that can already be done with at least some of the core components and companies they obtain parts from thereof. What we are lacking is not uniquely designed laptops. What we are lacking is source code for critical components and that is why this move will matter not to the improvement of support in the Linux world. Wake me when System76 actually ships hardware that we have at least the source code for at the OS-level for all critical components (graphics, wifi, etc). This is something a few companies focused on Linux are already doing. They're not putting out custom Linux distributions either to cover up the shitty hardware support either.

The don't even assemble their hardware?

[theurge14]

It appears I was mistaken all this time that they meticulously built their hardware to be open-source and backdoor free.

Huh. So all they do is load Linux distros on other hardware.

Re:The don't even assemble their hardware?

[Desler]

Duh. They've always been a reseller of rebadged Clevo hardware. This has never been a secret.

Re:The don't even assemble their hardware?

[Anonymous Coward]

It's not that simple. See this reddit post for information. In short, what you get direct from Clevo is not entirely the same thing that System76 sells.

Re:The most anticipated...by almost nobody

[Narcocide]

I've been waiting for them to make this announcement since I first heard of them several years ago. As an anonymous coward who has come forth with no proof whatsoever of how long you've even been paying attention, how is your opinion on the hype surrounding this credible?

Cool story, gramps #2

[Anonymous Coward]

Haha good joke. No one buys HP junk anymore unless they want an expensive paperweight.

Re:Cool story, gramps #2

[urbanriot]

lol - https://gadgets.ndtv.com/lapto... - " HP Leads Global Laptop Market, Apple Takes Fourth Place" I think you meant Apple, not HP.

https://www.notebookcheck.net/... - "Market intelligence provider IDC has released a report detailing the state of the worldwide traditional PC market for the first quarter of 2018 (1Q18). According to the data, both Dell and HP have seen increases in market share in comparison to the first quarter of 2017 (1Q17).

expect this to be extremely expensive

[Espectr0]

they already sell overpriced laptops (and they look hideous as well), so i can't expect this to be affordable.

i don't trust it being "open source hardware", many have tried and failed.

Open Source? Really?

[LaughingRadish]

No mention of what System76 considers an Open Source computer. At the very least, I'd want something that uses Coreboot and free/open payloads for the same as well as a means to turn off or reliably block management engine backdoors. Meanwhile there ARE completely Open Source modern computers from Raptor Computing Systems in the form of the Talos series, although they're very expensive.

USB and HDMI are OpenSource now

[DalM]

Whoo Hoo! Great to hear that USB 3 and HDMI are going to be open source now. They would have to be right. I mean, no one would buy a computer of any kind without a few USB 3 and HDMI ports, so obviously they are going to have to be open sourced, with all their patents released to the commons. I mean, I'm sure that's what they meant by "OpenSource hardware", right?

Re:USB and HDMI are OpenSource now

[Anonymous Coward]

The USB specs have always been open. I don't know where you get the idea that "open source" means patents are released "to the commons" though, I don't think there's any definition of "open source" that mandates that.

How about Purism?

[chill]

Purism is already far down along this path, with good quality hardware.

Re:How about Purism?

[Anonymous Coward]

As I understand it, System76 is throwing an open hardware CPU in there. Purism is focused on neutering the Intel ME, which is laudable in its own right, but not the same. (And when I say "focused," I'm ignoring the Phone, Tablet?, Services, TPM, Cryptokey, etc. that they also have going.)

Re:How about Purism?

[Unknownus]

Purism makes laptops only, and they use Intel CPUs.

Re: How about Purism?

[chill]

Yes, but they've gone a long way towards disabling and neutering the management engine. Their progress is impressive.

https://puri.sm/?s=Management+...

Waiting for RiscV hardware...

[shoor]

...with open source BIOS and an Open Source OS (Linux being the best known, but there are others, like Net/Free/OpenBSD.) That would be what I would call an 'open source system'.

Re:Open Source? Really?

[Anonymous Coward]

Yeah, I really don't think they're going to open-source their BIOS. My first System76 laptop's motherboard "failed" (i.e., failed to post BIOS messages or boot an OS from attached media) almost exactly one year subsequent to purchase. As it happened, I had not upgraded the standard one-year warranty.

This time I bought a three-year warranty on a new model. Only a few months to go until I see if my mb fails on schedule, again.

Moreover, I replaced the power supply on my present laptop with their (overpriced) catalogue item. They insisted, over the phone, that I use email to fill the order. I used my phone, since I had no power supply. Then, a few days later someone tried to buy a fancy pair of shoes in Brooklyn with my credit card, which caused my bank to cancel my card as a security precaution.

Can't say it was System 76's fault but still, screw them. The only advantage to their products is saving the time and expense needed to research Linux-compatibility of similar, Windoze-compatible products on the market.

"Open source" doesn't help us know what's offered

[jbn-o]

No mention of what System76 considers an Open Source computer.

Precisely; and that's a big part of the problem with marketing terms—they are designed to tell you nothing substantive. This seems particularly useless when pitching a computer for sale (pre-orders are said to be on offer in October) and speaking to what is likely a technically literate audience that values being in control of their own computers. I know what features I'd want in a modern, powerful computer but I can't begin to evaluate if this computer is worth considering.

The Free Software Foundation (FSF) put together criteria by which hardware ought to be evaluated however this organization predates the development methodology brought up by the term "open source" by over a decade. The FSF has a history of doing work with published, carefully structured definitions (such as their list of "Words to Avoid (or Use with Care) Because They Are Loaded or Confusing") based on critical thinking about relevant technological and social issues. For example, the FSF doesn't want to be lumped in with "open source" because they stand for different values.

I'd like to see this new system be evaluated for the Respects Your Freedom campaign; I'd find that useful information to help me determine whether I should order one of these computers. But right now all I see are vague terms and an ad campaign that doesn't illuminate what's really going on offer.

Re:The most anticipated...by almost nobody

[Anonymous Coward]

>>So spare us the letrine claim about âoemost anticipatedâ

I think you meant "jejune".

System76 controls the entire user experience

[OneHundredAndTen]

And that is a good thing - how? If I wanted for company to control my entire user experience I already have Apple and MS.

Re:System76 controls the entire user experience

[Anonymous Coward]

Amen. *If* I wanted someone to "control my user experience", that would be me.

It's more: whenever I see the term "User Experience", I feel the urge to punch somebody in the eye.

APK Hosts File Engine for Linux/BSD/Pop!_OS

[Anonymous Coward]

See subject: APK Hosts File Engine 2.0++ 64-bit for Linux/BSD/Pop!_OS h t t p : / / a p k . i t - m a t e . c o . u k / A P K H o s t s F i l e E n g i n e F o r L i n u x . z i p

Yields more security/speed/reliability/anonymity vs. any 1 solution (99% of threats use hostnames vs. IP address most firewalls use) more efficiently/FASTER + NATIVELY 4 less!

Vs. "Bolt on 'MoAr' illogic-logic" slowing you hosts speed u up 2 ways: Adblocks + Hardcode fav. sites u spend most time @ vs. competition loaded w/ security bugs (DNS/AntiVir) + overheads slowing u (messagepass 'souled-out' to advertisers easily detected & blocked addons + firewall filtering drivers) & their complexity leads to exploitation!

* ONLY 1 of its kind in GUI 4 Linux/BSD/Pop!_OS!

(Better vs. Windows model in speed/efficiency/merge)

APK

P.S.=> Protects against Spectre & Meltdown + ads/trackers/botnets/malware downloads/malcript/email malicious payloads... apk

MacOS version available, too... apk

[Anonymous Coward]

It's here! APK Hosts File Engine 1.0++ 64-bit for MacOS h t t p : / / a p k . i t - m a t e . c o . u k / A P K H o s t s F i l e E n g i n e F o r M a c O S . z i p

Yields more security/speed/reliability/anonymity vs. any 1 solution (99% of threats use hostnames vs. IP address most firewalls use) more efficiently/FASTER + NATIVELY 4 less!

Vs. "Bolt on 'MoAr' illogic-logic" slowing you hosts speed u up 2 ways: Adblocks + Hardcode fav. sites u spend most time @ vs. competition loaded w/ security bugs (DNS/AntiVir) + overheads slowing u (messagepass 'souled-out' to advertisers easily detected & blocked addons + firewall filtering drivers) & their complexity leads to exploitation!

* ONLY 1 of its kind in GUI 4 MacOS!

(Better vs. Windows model in speed/efficiency/merge)

APK

P.S.=> Protects against Spectre & Meltdown + redirect poisoned or downed DNS/botnets/malware downloads/malcript/email malicious payloads... apk

"Handcrafted"

[surfcow]

... lovingly, by skilled artisans, who have dedicated their lives to selecting only the choicest components, ...

It's a computer. Not a violin. Enterprise-level BS sales-speak won't change that.

You want to impress us, make it a good value with good drivers and tight system integration.
Will custom hardware make that easier?

Re:"Handcrafted"

[Anonymous Coward]

It's a computer. Not a violin. Enterprise-level BS sales-speak won't change that.

You want to impress us, make it a good value with good drivers and tight system integration.

I feel like a dupe. My S76 laptop works fine with Slackware -- and it was alright, if a bit ponderous, running shipped Ubuntu before that. $1500 with a 3-year warranty.

But the one before that was $500 from Walmart, and it ran several distros just fine, until it was literally falling apart after four years -- and still, with external keyboard and only one functioning USB port, it ran. I think my next laptop comes from Walmart. Easy to return, no restocking either, optional extended warranty, and a lot less expensive than System76.

Re: The most anticipated...by almost nobody

[Anonymous Coward]

I remember first hearing about System76 13 years ago on Salshdot and I've been a regular Slashdot visitor for even longer than that. He's correct in saying a huge majority of people don't give a shit about System76 or Linux in general. That fact makes you seriously butt-hurt.

Re:The most anticipated...by almost nobody

[MachineShedFred]

But you can most certainly plunk down cash for some future mystery box with unknown shape or style, filled with hardware that nobody is able to describe, meeting a spec that doesn't exist! But it's open, somehow!

Reputation lost

[Plortzod]

Dammit, I was really close to clicking the buy button for a dual monitor desktop running their pop-whatever version of linux. This was based on their (perceived by me) reputation of being a no-nonsense and very helpful customer support system provider. Well, they just threw all that in the trash bin for me. I don't give a FUCKING SHIT about broken robots. System76, you just lost all the credibility you had for me. I'll be finding my next Linux system from somewhere else. Zareason is looking good right now. System76, you've dug a very deep hole you're going to have a long crawl out of before you can have any hope of gaining my respect as a serious player in this game again.

Re: The most anticipated...by almost nobody

[Narcocide]

Does it though, does it really? Or are you just telling yourself that to feel better? Are you sure you would know the difference?