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I'll be the first in line to say that, in general, Linux/OSS-centric companies never get this right. But this is just such a strange thing to say: "System76 i

I'll be the first in line to say that, in general, Linux/OSS-centric companies never get this right. But this is just such a strange thing to say: "System76 if you're reading this, please hire a new design team that is on par with Apple, Google, IBM, etc. and a new industrial design team that has competence at the level of Bang & Olufsen, Apple, Braun, etc." That is not only absurdly expensive, it disregards the actual situation: open source work in general suffers from a lack of designers willing to be involved. If this was a simple thing to do, I'd wager System76 would have already done it. On a personal note, I'd much rather they get to a point where they're fashioning their own hardware... otherwise I'm staying on a Macbook, because I'm not going back to plastic shells. The software design can wait, it's not like it hasn't already done so for years.

fermienrico 7y ago
It is not absurdly expensive to hire a design firm to do a project for you. Especially for a company such as System76. >> That is not only absurdly expensive, it disregards the actual situation: open source work in general suffers from a lack of designers willing to be involved. If this was a simple thing to do, I'd wager System76 would have already done it. I seriously doubt any statements that claim "if they could, they would have done" when it comes to great design in software or hardware. It essentially boils down to what the leadership thinks - if they think design service/teams are a cost center, forget about it. It will never ever improve. If the founders and the leaders of the company think that design is a core aspect of what they do and it should be part of everything at the company - from letterpads, to building design, to how they write and speak - then there is no way they cannot succeed.
fredoliveira 7y ago
Judging by the brands GP was suggesting, my assumption is that they are looking for the exact same thing you are - better hardware design, rather than UI design.
rpdillon 7y ago
> because I'm not going back to plastic shells I'm intensely curious about this stance. Apple popularized the aluminum case in laptops, and having owned a dozen each of aluminum and plastic/carbon fiber notebooks, aluminum is just... worse. It's heavier, more expensive, and every substantial impact is a permanent mar on the finish. Why is non-plastic so necessary? What advantage is there?
- Klonoar 7y ago
  Plastic feels cheap and shoddy. Macbooks (and such laptops) feel premium, and I want a premium product. I don't care about the price for a device I live with and work on daily. The weight doesn't bother me, and in fact I _prefer_ it having some body to it. Regarding impact... my 2015MBP doesn't look a day old. It's tanked hits that would break other laptops.

fermienrico 7y ago

It is not absurdly expensive to hire a design firm to do a project for you. Especially for a company such as System76. >> That is not only absurdly expensive, it disregards the actual situation: open source work in general suffers from a lack of designers willing to be involved. If this was a simple thing to do, I'd wager System76 would have already done it. I seriously doubt any statements that claim "if they could, they would have done" when it comes to great design in software or hardware. It essentially boils down to what the leadership thinks - if they think design service/teams are a cost center, forget about it. It will never ever improve. If the founders and the leaders of the company think that design is a core aspect of what they do and it should be part of everything at the company - from letterpads, to building design, to how they write and speak - then there is no way they cannot succeed.

fredoliveira 7y ago

Judging by the brands GP was suggesting, my assumption is that they are looking for the exact same thing you are - better hardware design, rather than UI design.

rpdillon 7y ago

> because I'm not going back to plastic shells I'm intensely curious about this stance. Apple popularized the aluminum case in laptops, and having owned a dozen each of aluminum and plastic/carbon fiber notebooks, aluminum is just... worse. It's heavier, more expensive, and every substantial impact is a permanent mar on the finish. Why is non-plastic so necessary? What advantage is there?

Klonoar 7y ago
Plastic feels cheap and shoddy. Macbooks (and such laptops) feel premium, and I want a premium product. I don't care about the price for a device I live with and work on daily. The weight doesn't bother me, and in fact I _prefer_ it having some body to it. Regarding impact... my 2015MBP doesn't look a day old. It's tanked hits that would break other laptops.