System76, Linux Hardware for Everyone

Allison Randal reports on O'Reilly Radar:

Last week at the Ubuntu Developer Summit, I spoke with Carl Ritchell, co-founder of System76. For years I've been seeking the Nirvana of a company that would ship me professional, high-quality, Linux-only hardware.

I had a moment of shock when I first looked at the site, thinking I'd found a Mac reseller. There was the multimedia Mini and the sleek set of black and silver laptops, plus a variety of desktops and servers. Like Apple, they take care to show off the applications available in a practical way: not "here are the 500 text editors available", but "here's how you'll check email, browse the web, edit office documents, watch movies, and manage your music collection". I can send my non-technical friends and relatives to buy computers there without terrifying them.

Each machine ships with the needed drivers already installed and the laptops have power management features configured and tested. They're also working to ensure that major third-party peripherals are supported. And, any modifications they make to support their hardware, they contribute back to Ubuntu so the whole community benefits.