System76 [Official Site], the hardware vendor that focuses on putting out well-supported Linux laptops, desktops and servers are teasing something new.
I've been following their CEO Carl Richell on Twitter for a while, watching the progress they're making towards their new desktop line and it's always fun to see the pictures. It's good to see a Linux hardware specialist doing so well that they can setup their own full production line.
As for the teaser, named Thelio, which could end up being the actual name for their new unit here's what they said:
System76 is releasing a new open-source computer, available for preorder next month. In the coming weeks, before the finalized hardware is announced, a four-part animation will be released weekly, with design updates hidden within a game portion of the story.
The story itself contains different worlds, each representing an antithesis to open source ideals. These themes are utilized to draw attention to the importance of open source in the evolution of technology. The parallel drawn between open source and the Thelio computer also helps System76 celebrate its milestone as the company transitions to manufacturing its own open hardware. CEO Carl Richell has been striving to achieve this goal since the company’s inception in 2005, and is eager to bring the new hardware to customers and open source fans alike.
Part of the problem with a lot of places, is that they're all essentially doing the same thing and only competing on price and delivery. So we're now going to have a Linux hardware vendor doing something truly unique, that's why I find this so exciting.
Find out more about it on their blog post and the official teaser website.
Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
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The comments on this article are closed.
Quoting: stankalovichI want to believe, but its probably going to be all Intel and Nvidia and really just going to be a marketing gimmick. If they really cared they would've made an AMD based product by now.
Except that they don't make they're own hardware (or at least they haven't). They're dependent on their supplier.
I agree though. I bought a new laptop recently, and I wanted to buy a System76, but I wanted AMD, so I don't have a System76.
Last edited by hummer010 on 27 September 2018 at 6:07 pm UTC
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slaapliedje Sep 27, 2018
AMD still has a ME style chip in it, this is about open hardware, I think, not open software.
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Quoting: stankalovichI want to believe, but its probably going to be all Intel and Nvidia and really just going to be a marketing gimmick. If they really cared they would've made an AMD based product by now.Or you know they stick with Intel but try their damndest to reason with them.
Like for example what they did with their own custom UEFI's lately getting rid of some microcode stupidity and not letting the processor do its thing.
In other words their processors are forced to operate in a certain way. Which dismayed intel greatly but when they saw sells numbers on System 76 financial reports made them reconsider their stance ...
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slaapliedje Sep 27, 2018
Quoting: stankalovichI want to believe, but its probably going to be all Intel and Nvidia and really just going to be a marketing gimmick. If they really cared they would've made an AMD based product by now.
Doesn't the AMD graphics still require binary firmware blobs? Fairly certain they're still not 100% open source. And there is always the microcode.
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All in all, it sounds lovely but I'm really uncertain what it means.
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I just want System 76 to add Purism's hardware killswitches to their laptops. Maybe even an all-AMD laptop - like a Ryzen 7 /Vega64 combo machine. Maybe with the new 7nm parts next year.
Last edited by jarhead_h on 27 September 2018 at 10:03 pm UTC
Last edited by jarhead_h on 27 September 2018 at 10:03 pm UTC
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Quoting: slaapliedjeTo answer your question simply put let's summarize it that way.Quoting: stankalovichI want to believe, but its probably going to be all Intel and Nvidia and really just going to be a marketing gimmick. If they really cared they would've made an AMD based product by now.
Doesn't the AMD graphics still require binary firmware blobs? Fairly certain they're still not 100% open source. And there is always the microcode.
1 ) When Linux users buy hardware they have a tendency to buy at the top tier of our catalogue
2 ) Being a bit less cagy and parting ways with the old days of putting patents on everything give us good image
3 ) Said newly acquired good reputation seems to sway linux users towards us rather than Intel
4 ) How about we very slowly point for point cater to them to see where it goes and if the trends keeps on making us money.
In other words AMD just like Intel is playing the incrementalism game ... Fine let's play it then. And Well AMD is just playing a faster incrementalism game than Intel is ... let's reward them then .
At least that's how I see it.
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slaapliedje Sep 28, 2018
Quoting: TheSyldatReasons I stay away from AMD.Quoting: slaapliedjeTo answer your question simply put let's summarize it that way.Quoting: stankalovichI want to believe, but its probably going to be all Intel and Nvidia and really just going to be a marketing gimmick. If they really cared they would've made an AMD based product by now.
Doesn't the AMD graphics still require binary firmware blobs? Fairly certain they're still not 100% open source. And there is always the microcode.
1 ) When Linux users buy hardware they have a tendency to buy at the top tier of our catalogue
2 ) Being a bit less cagy and parting ways with the old days of putting patents on everything give us good image
3 ) Said newly acquired good reputation seems to sway linux users towards us rather than Intel
4 ) How about we very slowly point for point cater to them to see where it goes and if the trends keeps on making us money.
In other words AMD just like Intel is playing the incrementalism game ... Fine let's play it then. And Well AMD is just playing a faster incrementalism game than Intel is ... let's reward them then .
At least that's how I see it.
1) Their chipsets are still crap. Everytime I use an AMD system, it has random issues. Like USB randomly dying until I pull out the CMOS batery.
2) nVidia simply has better cards/features. For example, G-Sync is supported on Linux, Freesync is still questionable last time I looked it up.
I try to switch it up every few builds or so, but keep running into these problems. I really wish we had an alternative. RISC-V have all the Spectre issues?
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slaapliedje Sep 28, 2018
Quoting: slaapliedjeQuoting: TheSyldatReasons I stay away from AMD.Quoting: slaapliedjeTo answer your question simply put let's summarize it that way.Quoting: stankalovichI want to believe, but its probably going to be all Intel and Nvidia and really just going to be a marketing gimmick. If they really cared they would've made an AMD based product by now.
Doesn't the AMD graphics still require binary firmware blobs? Fairly certain they're still not 100% open source. And there is always the microcode.
1 ) When Linux users buy hardware they have a tendency to buy at the top tier of our catalogue
2 ) Being a bit less cagy and parting ways with the old days of putting patents on everything give us good image
3 ) Said newly acquired good reputation seems to sway linux users towards us rather than Intel
4 ) How about we very slowly point for point cater to them to see where it goes and if the trends keeps on making us money.
In other words AMD just like Intel is playing the incrementalism game ... Fine let's play it then. And Well AMD is just playing a faster incrementalism game than Intel is ... let's reward them then .
At least that's how I see it.
1) Their chipsets are still crap. Everytime I use an AMD system, it has random issues. Like USB randomly dying until I pull out the CMOS batery.
2) nVidia simply has better cards/features. For example, G-Sync is supported on Linux, Freesync is still questionable last time I looked it up.
I try to switch it up every few builds or so, but keep running into these problems. I really wish we had an alternative. RISC-V have all the Spectre issues?
Edit: To be fair, my previous server build was an Opteron, and it was pretty decent, though I think I still had some weird issues with the chipset. My current server build is an AMD FX 8120, and while it's had some random issues where I'd reboot it remotely and it'd just hang somewhere, I'm not sure if that was the kernel or not, because I have downgraded to the non-backport kernel in Debian Stretch and it seems to no longer have the freeze during reboot problem.
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Quoting: slaapliedjeFair enough but all this doesn't change my original point which was trying to give you AMD bosses point of view.Quoting: slaapliedjeQuoting: TheSyldatReasons I stay away from AMD.Quoting: slaapliedjeTo answer your question simply put let's summarize it that way.Quoting: stankalovichI want to believe, but its probably going to be all Intel and Nvidia and really just going to be a marketing gimmick. If they really cared they would've made an AMD based product by now.
Doesn't the AMD graphics still require binary firmware blobs? Fairly certain they're still not 100% open source. And there is always the microcode.
1 ) When Linux users buy hardware they have a tendency to buy at the top tier of our catalogue
2 ) Being a bit less cagy and parting ways with the old days of putting patents on everything give us good image
3 ) Said newly acquired good reputation seems to sway linux users towards us rather than Intel
4 ) How about we very slowly point for point cater to them to see where it goes and if the trends keeps on making us money.
In other words AMD just like Intel is playing the incrementalism game ... Fine let's play it then. And Well AMD is just playing a faster incrementalism game than Intel is ... let's reward them then .
At least that's how I see it.
1) Their chipsets are still crap. Everytime I use an AMD system, it has random issues. Like USB randomly dying until I pull out the CMOS batery.
2) nVidia simply has better cards/features. For example, G-Sync is supported on Linux, Freesync is still questionable last time I looked it up.
I try to switch it up every few builds or so, but keep running into these problems. I really wish we had an alternative. RISC-V have all the Spectre issues?
Edit: To be fair, my previous server build was an Opteron, and it was pretty decent, though I think I still had some weird issues with the chipset. My current server build is an AMD FX 8120, and while it's had some random issues where I'd reboot it remotely and it'd just hang somewhere, I'm not sure if that was the kernel or not, because I have downgraded to the non-backport kernel in Debian Stretch and it seems to no longer have the freeze during reboot problem.
Which is
"We've been absent in various places because Intel was gathering lots of goodwill even on the server side of things , while these days they got cocky and everybody is just about fed up with how they handle various things let's try and score some points"
And that attitude led to AMD being a little bit less "patent troll" and a bit more cooperative with the Linux fundation and various open source projects. All I'm saying is let's reward their effort after all they at least try to listen, there is somebody in their soldiering at least a little bit for us. (now same goes for Intel mind you ... problem is said soldier at Intel seems to have a hard time to talk reason into his Captain's head ... ) ;)
TL : DR
-Yes there are still some stuff from AMD that's a bit propietary but they are opening up their code real fast..
-Meanwhile Intel is still doing all kinds of weird shit , pushes microcode BS that even Motherboards designers are fed up with so on and so forth ...
Last edited by TheSyldat on 28 September 2018 at 3:39 am UTC
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