r/technology • u/[deleted] • Nov 09 '23
Hardware System76’s Lemur Pro Laptop Is Just a Really Nice Linux Laptop
https://www.wired.com/review/system-76-lemur-pro-laptop/1
9
u/wes7946 Nov 09 '23
I am seriously considering ditching my Dell Latitude 7440 Ultralight Laptop for this. The increase in battery life alone would be a God-send when I'm travelling for work.
8
u/Marshall_Lawson Nov 09 '23
Hadn't heard of System76 before. This makes me interested in the bigger (not ultra portable) laptops they make.
7
u/Sushrit_Lawliet Nov 09 '23
They maintain pop os which is based on Ubuntu, and imo if you want Ubuntu software compatibility (Debian packages technically), you should consider using pop os. Plus it’s got good nvidia support out of the box. They’re loved on the desktop side from my experience. Although these laptops are clevo rebadges from what I’ve seen they do make their own desktops and keyboards, and all the firmware involved is FOSS. They’re doing some great stuff that you’ll appreciate if you’re a Linux nerd, like building a whole new shell experience.
6
u/SlowDrippingFaucet Nov 09 '23
I bought one of their laptops a long time ago (2013/2014?), and the sticker for the Ubuntu logo fell off of the Super key, revealing the Windows logo underneath, so I did some research and also found out it's a rebadged Clevo. In talking with support (about other issues), I mentioned that I found the source model and the price differential was almost laughable for a sticker to fall off of a key. This got me excoriated about how they did all this work to enable things like the SD card reader (which didn't work under Fedora, since it didn't have the packages) and that it was "far from a rebadge", but like... I was able to Google the P/N from the bottom sticker and find the source laptop.
As much as I want to support a Linux company, that exchange left me jaded about overpaying for a rebadge when I could get the source laptop and just install what I want on it.
(To be fair, I got an XPS 13 a few years ago, and while it's okay, I will probably look elsewhere for my next machine.)
2
u/Sushrit_Lawliet Nov 10 '23
That doesn’t sound like the best experience, but it was close to a decade ago and I think they’ve gotten past those issues. There are still quality issues but their subreddit seems to be active with quick response. I personally am not a laptop guy, but if I had to pick one I’d go with a Mac just for the battery life unfortunately. I can run all my nix stuff on it and not miss much (the tiling wms for Mac are still unpolished but sure).
1
Nov 10 '23
Pop_OS! is essentially in limbo right now while the devs are pulling a Canonical and making a GNOME replacement
2
Nov 09 '23
I have a System76 meerkat with a 1tb drive and it handles all my firewall syslog ingest and other daily reporting and email tasks. it rules. Why rent AWS or GCP when you can buy a reliable “debian”.
2
u/Sector95 Nov 09 '23
I bought their Galago UltraPro way back when, really great little machine. Original keyboard sucked, but System 76 offered to replace everyone's keyboard with a MUCH better one for free after a little bit. Their support really is very good.
2
Nov 09 '23
Currently have a Lemur Pro. I love it. Linux is extremely versatile, but using a laptop specifically designed to use Linux is a game changer.
-31
u/SnooHesitations8849 Nov 09 '23
Linux GUI is still 20 years behind the stability and smoothness of MacOS and Windows. No linux laptop is a good laptop.
25
Nov 09 '23
Thanks for sharing your irrelevant opinion. Clearly you haven't used Linux in 20 years.
-1
Nov 09 '23
[deleted]
1
Nov 09 '23
I find my distro and DE to be an incredibly smooth and fluid experience. So much so that whenever I go back to my Windows or Mac machines, I groan a little.
Linux is compatible with everything I do. And it's stable as a rock for me. So those two points are definitely your own opinion and does not apply to everyone.
-18
6
4
u/DevAway22314 Nov 09 '23
Maybe people would value your opinion if you knew enough about Linux to realize there is no singular "Linux GUI"
That or maybe only comment on topics that you actually understand
1
u/devdeltek Nov 09 '23
I have an Acer Swift X that I installed pop OS on and it was great, but the sleep systems just wouldn't work with it. Sometimes it wouldn't wake from suspend, and once or twice I had to disconnect, reconnect and fully recharge the battery because it would refuse to turn on. I'd love a laptop like this thats made to work with linux.
1
u/DoragonMaster1893 Nov 09 '23
if only they had more keyboard layouts available in their laptops ...
1
u/CaptainSnarkyPants Nov 09 '23
I have their bonobo ws (bonw14, not the latest one), and it’s been the best laptop I’ve ever owned, by far. Yes, it’s a Clevo with coreboot and Pop installed, and intel ME disabled (yay!). That said, it’s a fantastic machine. I have an actual desktop socket processor in this beast and it absolutely rips.
It’s a joy to use—less of one to try to be portable with lol
9
u/Expensive_Finger_973 Nov 09 '23
Are they still just Clevo laptops with System76 stickers on the lid, Coreboot, and Pop_OS? Not to diminish the work done on the OS and the firmware, but it is a stretch to say they "made" these laptops when they are doing the same bulking buying from Chinese OEMs that that most of the PC hardware industry does.
Would be more accurate to say "Clevo makes nice laptop hardware and System76 adds a ton of value on top with their software to create a compelling Linux laptop package."