4 ms·

How do you like the Purism Librem? I'm a long-time MacBook user but have been looking around (and holding onto my late-2013). I'm curious about the build qualit

How do you like the Purism Librem? I'm a long-time MacBook user but have been looking around (and holding onto my late-2013). I'm curious about the build quality of the Purism machines. I'm willing to spend quite a bit on my tools. And I still remember the issues that ThinkPad's had with backdoors... so, I'd love to find something that has a high build-quality and puts the user first.

alibert 7y ago
My friend bought one recently (last month), it has absolute garbage wifi. I know it's about open fireware/baseband but the wifi card is old and has also shit reception. You can easily change it but for a $1,400 laptop... The build quality seems okay but definitely not Apple level. Still my friend complained a week ago about screen flickers.
vinceguidry 7y ago
So, the Purism Librem is a purpose-built laptop. It wants to first, respect your freedom, and second, provide excellent build quality. It succeeds on both of those goals. Does it succeed at build quality better than Apple? It's arguable. The UX on Apple laptops is great, however the durability on the Librem is commanding. Does it respect your privacy more than Apple? 100% yes. There are hardware switches for wifi and microphone / video. It comes by default with a Debian-based, FSF-approved OS, which I personally replaced with Ubuntu for reasons. I consider it a fine laptop equal in build quality to everything but a late-model ThinkPad, especially since Apple's been screwing the pooch in that regard. I've owned a System76 Galago Pro, not the current gen, and the Librem blows it out of the water in every single category. I buy a lot of System76 hardware, having purchased three machines in the past year. The Meerkat is a great little powerhouse. But their laptops just aren't as focused hardware-wise as Purism's offering. If you want that ultrabook experience in a durable package with curated hardware for Linux compatibility, there isn't anything else to buy, except perhaps the Dell XPS, but Purism. That also said, if you're looking for a desktop replacement, the Librem won't be your cup of tea. System76 just came out with their Adder 4k which looks amazing and I've been resisting the urge to drop $4k on one for weeks. I dunno how the build quality compares but I don't think it can really touch the Librem in that regard. I'm thinking S76 is competing with Dell while Purism is competing with Apple. YMMV

alibert 7y ago

My friend bought one recently (last month), it has absolute garbage wifi. I know it's about open fireware/baseband but the wifi card is old and has also shit reception. You can easily change it but for a $1,400 laptop... The build quality seems okay but definitely not Apple level. Still my friend complained a week ago about screen flickers.

vinceguidry 7y ago

So, the Purism Librem is a purpose-built laptop. It wants to first, respect your freedom, and second, provide excellent build quality. It succeeds on both of those goals. Does it succeed at build quality better than Apple? It's arguable. The UX on Apple laptops is great, however the durability on the Librem is commanding. Does it respect your privacy more than Apple? 100% yes. There are hardware switches for wifi and microphone / video. It comes by default with a Debian-based, FSF-approved OS, which I personally replaced with Ubuntu for reasons. I consider it a fine laptop equal in build quality to everything but a late-model ThinkPad, especially since Apple's been screwing the pooch in that regard. I've owned a System76 Galago Pro, not the current gen, and the Librem blows it out of the water in every single category. I buy a lot of System76 hardware, having purchased three machines in the past year. The Meerkat is a great little powerhouse. But their laptops just aren't as focused hardware-wise as Purism's offering. If you want that ultrabook experience in a durable package with curated hardware for Linux compatibility, there isn't anything else to buy, except perhaps the Dell XPS, but Purism. That also said, if you're looking for a desktop replacement, the Librem won't be your cup of tea. System76 just came out with their Adder 4k which looks amazing and I've been resisting the urge to drop $4k on one for weeks. I dunno how the build quality compares but I don't think it can really touch the Librem in that regard. I'm thinking S76 is competing with Dell while Purism is competing with Apple. YMMV