this post was submitted on 28 Jan 2024
95 points (100.0% liked)

Linux

1261 readers
57 users here now

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).

Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.

Rules

Related Communities

Community icon by Alpár-Etele Méder, licensed under CC BY 3.0

founded 5 years ago
MODERATORS
95
submitted 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) by wwwgem@lemmy.ml to c/linux@lemmy.ml
 

Hello fellows,

I'm currently looking in 13-14" laptops with no immediate needs for one but just because it's exciting. I love my Dell XPS but I feel I should support companies with which I share more common views. I could make the effort to go a with a less attractive look (especially for bezels) but I don't want to go wrong with hardware so what are your thoughts on Framework, Starlab, Purism, and System76? I'll be running Arch and I tend to have a preference for Framework for now.

Do you have feedback (positive and negative) to share on any of these companies?

Thanks for the knowledge you'll bring me. That'll be extremely useful when time comes to go with a new machine.

Update 1: Still wonderful to be part of such a great community. Thanks for all the great feedback (looking for more :) ).
So far everyone is standing behind Framework. Anyone with a less positive experience or who would like to speak for the other companies?

Update 2: Thank you fellows for the time you've spent to share your honest feedback! I didn't want to influence your inputs but you all confirmed the Framework picture I had in mind. It's a piece of mind to read real world experience so thanks again. I was surprised to not see the system76 community speaks louder. Anyway, when time comes I will (virtually) push Framework shop's door.

top 50 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] Pogogunner@kbin.social 35 points 11 months ago (1 children)

I have a framework, pretty happy with it - Arch installed without any hitches and runs well. Only downside is how long it took to go from deposit to actually paying/shipping.

[–] wwwgem@lemmy.ml 2 points 11 months ago (1 children)

How long have you been waiting? Was it during the pandemic (when everyone was using this as an excuse)? Do you know if it seems to be a current issue?

[–] Pogogunner@kbin.social 5 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Ordered on August 2nd, Shipped November 17th of 2023

[–] wwwgem@lemmy.ml 1 points 11 months ago (1 children)

If that's something usual I'll definitely avoid Framework. When I order a laptop it's because I need a replacement very quickly for work.

[–] morrowind@lemmy.ml 5 points 11 months ago (1 children)

If you're in the US, the 13 is fully in stock and should ship on a week. OP may have preordered his

[–] wwwgem@lemmy.ml 1 points 11 months ago (1 children)

I didn't think about that. If the usual shipping delay is reasonable then I feel better.

[–] Overspark@feddit.nl 4 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Most of the delays are effectively from pre-ordering. I ordered mine just after last Christmas, got it the first week in January. Would have probably been faster without the holidays. Also, get the AMD model if you can, it's much better than the Intel offerings.

[–] wwwgem@lemmy.ml 1 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Great to hear! Going with AMD is something I've tried to do for a long time but I was not lucky with availability, I'll definitely take the opportunity to do so with the next laptop!

[–] Pogogunner@kbin.social 1 points 11 months ago (1 children)

It's been a bit, so I forgot some details, but my order was a pre-order

Framework Laptop 13 DIY Edition (AMD Ryzen™ 7040 Series)
System: AMD Ryzen™ 5 7640U
Quantity: 1
Price: $711.00
DDR5-5600 - 16GB (2 x 8GB)
Quantity: 1
Price: $80.00
WD_BLACK™ SN770 NVMe™- M.2 2280 - 250GB
Quantity: 1
Price: $39.00
Bezel - Black
Quantity: 1
Price: $39.00
Input Cover Kit - US English
Quantity: 1
Price: $99.00
Power Adapter - 60W - US/Canada
Quantity: 1
Price: $49.00
Limited-edition pre-order bonus
Quantity: 1
Price: $0.00

USB-C Expansion Card
Quantity: 2
Price: $18.00
USB-A Expansion Card
Quantity: 2
Price: $18.00
Ethernet Expansion Card
Quantity: 1
Price: $39.00
MicroSD Expansion Card
Quantity: 1
Price: $19.00
Shipping $0.00
Subtotal $1,111.00

[–] wwwgem@lemmy.ml 2 points 11 months ago

Thanks for the great details!

[–] Petter1@lemm.ee 22 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Since it was not mentioned yet: https://www.tuxedocomputers.com/en

If I would not get so many old computing devices that fulfill my needs (I don’t game on PC/Linux) I guess I’d buy one of those. I live in Switzerland and having a german company for support would be superior to me. And I heard that build quality should be great 😇 😂I guess I’d really like to have one, but as I said, for my needs, my macbookpro5,3 running arch does the job.

[–] alfenstein 3 points 11 months ago (1 children)

I've had the TUXEDO Pulse 15 from tuxedo computers for about 2 years and it's great.

[–] Petter1@lemm.ee 2 points 11 months ago

Nice to hear 😄

[–] JoeyJoeJoeJr@lemmy.ml 17 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (1 children)

I currently have a System76 laptop, and sincerely regret my purchase. When I purchased it, the Framework was not out yet - I wanted to support a company that supports right-to-repair, and figured since they controlled the hardware, firmware, and software (Pop!_OS), it would be a good, stable experience. It has not been, and support has generally been poor. I know other people have had better experiences than I have, but personally, I won't be buying from them again.

I haven't personally used Purism, but former co-workers spoke really poorly of them. They were trying to buy a big batch for work, and said the build quality was awful. Additionally: https://youtu.be/wKegmu0V75s

[–] wwwgem@lemmy.ml 4 points 11 months ago

Thanks very much for this important feedback. Framework is definitely taking the lead in responses to this post.

[–] peanutbutter_gas@lemm.ee 14 points 11 months ago (1 children)

I have a framework laptop and endeavour os with gnome de. I've had no problems with it. I mainly use it for dev work and web browsing. I enabled gnome muli-gesture (basically the same gestures on a Mac trackpad). I've had no problems with that either.

I'd recommend it.

[–] wwwgem@lemmy.ml 2 points 11 months ago

Thanks for sharing this feedback. One more point for Framework :)

[–] nickiam2@aussie.zone 12 points 11 months ago (3 children)

I've had a framework for 2 years now. It's run fedora, manjaro (arch based) and Debian with no major issues. Manjaro had some problems with KDE and the high DPI screen. Sometimes the scaling was inconsistent between apps. Fedora just works.

Only hardware issue is the battery life is just not that great. And the trackpad doesn't always work property, but I think that was a first generation issue that's been resolved since.

[–] wwwgem@lemmy.ml 2 points 11 months ago

Thank you for taking time to share this detailed feedback. Very useful!

[–] wwwgem@lemmy.ml 1 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

Don't know if you plan to use another Arch-based distro on this laptop in the future but I came across this page which has some tips to adjust the Framework 13 including one that may be related to what you mention. They recommend to use 1,5 scaling factor. More details can be found here.

[–] Chinzon 1 points 11 months ago

I'm going to add my +1 for framework, I got the batch 5 original framework 13 with pop os on it and a windows 10 copy on a 250gb expansion card. Its been my main work and play laptop and I enen replaced the main chassis after it got smashed (long story) involving the sidewalk. Anyway I love what framework is doing and the decision has arguably already paid off within these last two years.

[–] Revan343@lemmy.ca 11 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (1 children)

I'm a fan of refurbished ThinkPads myself, but that is mostly for money reasons. If I had money to blow, I would probably also buy a Framework

[–] wwwgem@lemmy.ml 4 points 11 months ago

Framework also has an outlet, just in case you want to take a look ;)

[–] teawrecks@sopuli.xyz 11 points 11 months ago (1 children)

I had a System76 10 years ago. The customer service was excellent (several months after receiving my laptop, they sent me a replacement keyboard, because they didn't like the one it shipped with). The build quality was meh, it was a plastic body and didn't hold up well to wear and tear, but it's in my closet and still works. I haven't tried their aluminum bodies.

I now have a Framework. It arrived with trackpad issues, and one of the HDMI adapters didn't work at all. They shipped me replacements for both at no cost to me (except time). It's been nice knowing that any other issues I do have can be replaced piecewise. Also I like that the webcam/mic have physical kill switches.

[–] wwwgem@lemmy.ml 6 points 11 months ago

Very nice to read this feedback. I'm very sold to Framework after all the great things posted here. An impeccable customer support like the one you describe means a lot about a company.

[–] NikkiNikkiNikki@kbin.social 10 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (1 children)

They're all aight, but avoid asus like the plague, they don't last very long and have tons of incompatibilities with linux. I've only had mine for 3 years and it already needs a new mobo as the pci lanes for wifi and bluetooth suddenly died

[–] wwwgem@lemmy.ml 2 points 11 months ago

Thanks but I've already limited my choice to Framework, Starlab, Purism, and System76 as mentioned beside the title of this post.

[–] pr06lefs@lemmy.ml 8 points 11 months ago (5 children)

Personally I'm holding out for a laptop based on the snapdragon elite X arm chips coming out later this year. Should be great for battery life (like 28 hours) and very fast. We'll see how the linux support turns out. And also which manufacturers pick it up - would like framework but haven't heard anything about that from them. Lenovo already released a system based on the old snapdragon chip so seems likely they'll release one based on the elite X too.

[–] wwwgem@lemmy.ml 3 points 11 months ago

That's interesting... I was not aware of that. Another more element to add to my future decision ^^

[–] fleet@lemmy.ca 3 points 11 months ago

I didn't know about this specifically, but I'm holding onto my 2017 ThinkPad until I can buy an Arm laptop and run Linux on it.

load more comments (3 replies)
[–] avidamoeba@lemmy.ca 5 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (1 children)

Another happy Framework user here. I have 2 first gens in my immediate family and 2 second gens among my friends. All run Ubuntu LTS. No one is complaining. I've already replaced my bottom chassis because I destroyed it during a bad mishap. Ordering was easy, the part was inexpensive, the replacement was straightforward. A Dell XPS perhaps feels a bit better made, but then it doesn't say Made in Taiwan on the bottom so there's that. 😅

On the other hand System76 is building a new open source desktop environment in a sane programming language... 🤔 If COSMIC desktop turns out great and I end up using it, I'll probably throw a couple of hundred their way in lieu of buy their laptop.

[–] wwwgem@lemmy.ml 3 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Thanks for a nice feedback. One more vote for Framework ;)
I don't use a DE, so this would not make me go with them. Also, I'll use Arch anyway, not PopOS.

[–] avidamoeba@lemmy.ca 2 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Oh I now remembered that mine developed a problem with one of the USB ports, not a cartridge but the host port. Framework sent me a new board. I replaced it easily and sent the bad one to them.

[–] wwwgem@lemmy.ml 2 points 11 months ago

Wow that's quite impressive. Serious customer service definitely.

[–] Pantherina@feddit.de 5 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Novacustom or System76, they actually use open Firmware.

[–] wwwgem@lemmy.ml 4 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Novacustom... Never heard of it. The almost insignificant disadvantage I can see so far for Framework is that they don't use open-source boot. Everyone so far stand behind Framework. How would you sell me on System76 or Novacustom?

[–] Pantherina@feddit.de 4 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Framework tried Coreboot, has problems and gave up. When buying a Laptop with coreboot you support open Firmware Development for all CPUs, many board generations etc.

Just look at 3mdeb's Dasharo guide. Its nearly as secure as Heads, on a modern Laptop!

[–] wwwgem@lemmy.ml 3 points 11 months ago

Yes, using coreboot would just have been nice to support open-source from all aspects.

[–] MajorHavoc@programming.dev 4 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (1 children)

Weirdly, my (five year old) Microsoft Surface runs Ubuntu perfectly. (Edit to clarify, after some initial hassle.)

I'm eying a Framework 16 next.

Edit: To clarify, I would not recommend purchasing a Microsoft Surface to put Linux on it. As others have pointed out, it's not the smoothest setup experience.

If anyone already has a Surface and wants to extend it's life with Linux, that I recommend wholeheartedly. With the disclaimer that there was some weird nerdy deep-dive extra setup needed.

[–] krash@lemmy.ml 6 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Certain surface models run linux fine, but I wouldn't recommended it as a linux laptop as it requires solving several issues before you get a working computer.

[–] MajorHavoc@programming.dev 2 points 11 months ago

That is a terrific point!

[–] naeap@sopuli.xyz 3 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Anyone have some experience with StarLabs?

Ordered a StarFighter like more than half a year ago and am losing confidence in the company...

[–] wwwgem@lemmy.ml 2 points 11 months ago (1 children)
[–] naeap@sopuli.xyz 2 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Well, the Laptop is still not released. Not sure what I can say more about it :⁠-⁠\

[–] IDontHavePantsOn@lemm.ee 1 points 11 months ago

That is an outrageously long time to wait for a laptop without updates. From the prices I just looked up, it also is outrageously expensive.

I would have sought a refund before now already, but that's just my opinion.

[–] crazyminner@lemmy.ml 2 points 11 months ago

Gnu/Linux...

[–] Flaky@iusearchlinux.fyi 1 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Framework and System76 are both pretty good and user-serviceable. I know System76's customer service is particularly really good.

[–] wwwgem@lemmy.ml 1 points 11 months ago

Looks like Framework receives a ton of support. System76 has been surprisingly almost not mentioned and not always in the best terms.
Thanks for your feedback!

[–] eshep@social.trom.tf 1 points 11 months ago

@wwwgem I've been extremely pleased with @tuxedocomputers in both product quality and support. Next laptop will assuredly be another from them.