System76 Teases New "Nebula" Linux Desktop/Workstation

[M@GOid]

Compared to their last case I saw here in Phoronix, looks like a step in the right direction. There is now frontal connectors and the mobo IO cut in the back allows different models to be installed, in case of the original mobo dies years later.

Now put a recessed reset button in the front and I stop complaining.

[M@GOid]

I want to like this but I need more than one full sized USB port on the front of my desktop. My current PC has 3 up front and I have a USB hub to bring 4 more up there because it's too much of a pain in the ass to access the rear of my PC.

Does anyone actually need or fully utilize the 27 USB ports on the rear of their PC? Because I totally love getting up, walking around my desk to the back side of the PC, and squatting down just to access my USB ports. I use three of those -- mouse and keyboard and a USB hub. I'd hate having a PC like that since I'd probably be using 2 USB hubs.

Making the case sleek and minimalist means we end up with a work area clusterfucked with USB hubs and cables.

+1 for frontal connectors. Although I plug most of my stuff in the rear connectors, having easy access in the front is a usability birth right for those not in the cult of, urgh, Jony Ive.

Also, I do find strange when some people complain when a motherboard don't have "27" USB ports, especially 3.0 and up. In practice only a portion of what you can plug there benefits from a high speed connector, and even then how much the average user put there? If you want a lot of IO, pay for it, because most of people don't want to pay for capacity they will never use.

[rmfx]

I didn't realize that PC cases was still a thing.

I remember years ago guys would mod cases, or make custom cases, or spend big bucks on designer cases but now, in 2023?

Especially the DIYers, that are interested in a Linux box, I figure they will either buy the cheapest case they can find or buy a second hand pre-built PC and install Linux on it.

To me it doesn't look that good.

Maybe if it was completely made out of wood I might buy one.

Ok, apparently having wood in the case is a major buying argument for some…
Personnaly, I buy computer for quality of components, power, and software integration. But that might be shallow.

[sophisticles]

Ok, apparently having wood in the case is a major buying argument for some…
Personnaly, I buy computer for quality of components, power, and software integration. But that might be shallow.

If you read any of my posts related to this company and their products you will realize that i don't believe they have a good business plan.

The PC market is a competitive landscape that has a lot of players with some well established vendors, like HP and Dell, that are difficult to compete against.

Additionally this company has decided to try and appeal to a market segment that naturally attracts the DIYers, i.e. Linux users, that are likely to either buy a used PC off of eBay and install Linux on it or are likely to build their own and you have a tough road ahead of you.

Offering a generic looking case, of even a complete system, with regular commodity hardware, at a premium price, is not the recipe for success.

Apple know how to build a business, aesthetically pleasing cases, monitors and speakers, unique hardware and exclusive software and they are making billions.

If I was in charge of System76, I would implement a marketing strategy that included all glass cases and I would make the new rust coded COSMIC desktop they are working on an exclusive that is only available to those that buy a complete system from the company.

You might alienate some Linux "purists" but those people are not your target market anyway. they need people with deep pockets, that are willing to pay for exclusivity and support.

[ahoneybun]

But is the case open source hardware? Are there CAD files available?

It will be on GitHub just like the Thelio case is.

[OskarG]

If you read any of my posts related to this company and their products you will realize that i don't believe they have a good business plan.

I have noticed this kind of criticism come up in basically every post about System76 here. No idea why anyone would feel that strongly about the strategy they choose for their products.

Anyway, just to provide one anecdotal datapoint I'm exactly in their target market. I have a small company where I run everything on open source software from routers to laptops. I appreciate there is an option to run Linux on fully supported quality hardware without having to spend the time to tinker/DIY for everything. That is worth paying for and I'm happy to see there are companies looking to fill this niche.

[davidhendricks]

I have noticed this kind of criticism come up in basically every post about System76 here. No idea why anyone would feel that strongly about the strategy they choose for their products.

Anyway, just to provide one anecdotal datapoint I'm exactly in their target market. I have a small company where I run everything on open source software from routers to laptops. I appreciate there is an option to run Linux on fully supported quality hardware without having to spend the time to tinker/DIY for everything. That is worth paying for and I'm happy to see there are companies looking to fill this niche.

The company is nearly two decades old, so they must be doing something right to survive this long.

And like you say, it's nice having off-the-shelf hardware designed to work well with open source software and not just Windows. Time is often more scarce than money, so it's great to be able to buy hardware from companies like System76 and know that it won't become a huge burden or end up with a lot of quirks.