System76

System76 is a computer manufacturing company that was established in 2005 and is based in Denver, Colorado. It produces open-source software and hardware that provides the user with the right to make modifications to suit their interests and greater technological freedom to use their hardware and operating system. System76 is named after the year 1776 in American history when independence was achieved over proprietary software environments.

Some of the categories in which the company designs and markets computing hardware include laptops, desktop computers, workstations, mini PCs, keyboards, and servers. The company creates Pop!_OS, a Linux-based operating system that ships with many of its systems and is based on Ubuntu. Pop!_OS offers automatic window tiling, custom workstations, an encrypted system, and developer-friendly tools for programming and engineering. The hardware of System76 tends to be high-performance, including new Intel processors, discrete graphics cards, superfast NVMe storage, and upgraded memory layouts.

Product offerings of System76 also consist of laptop lines Oryx Pro, Pangolin, Adder, and Lemur Pro that can be used in software development and gaming, as well as mobile computing. Under the desktop product category, the company offers the Thelio series, modular workstations, which can support high-performance CPUs and powerful GPUs to perform activation of machine learning, engineering simulation, and video production. Meerkat mini computers and rack-mount servers are also sold by the company.

Besides computers, the company produces accessories, such as mechanical keyboards, such as the Launch keyboard, which is compatible with macOS, Windows, and Linux. The firmware of the Launch is open-source QMK. The user can only initiate updates via the Pop!_OS firmware settings and LVFS. While your firmware is being updated, your keyboard LEDs will flash U-N-L-O-C-K-E-D to notify you.

Much of the manufacturing of the company’s products is done in Denver, where the company assembles desktops and hardware bits. System76 is also actively involved in open-source software development, including projects like COSMIC, which is a customizable desktop environment, and it is aimed at making the system more productive and efficient. Its computers are delivered to over 60 countries, and the firm promotes practices such as the development of open firmware and right-to-repair that enable its customers to upgrade or service its computers without limitations.