Industry Computer hardware Website System76.com Type of business Private | Area served Worldwide Founded November 2005 Key people Carl Richell (CEO) | |
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Products Desktops, netbooks, notebooks, servers Headquarters Denver, Colorado, United States Profiles | ||
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System76 is an American computer manufacturer based in Denver, Colorado specializing in the sale of notebooks, desktops, and servers. They are notable for their support of open-source software, only offering Ubuntu as the installed operating system.
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History
System76 was founded by Carl Richell and Erik Fetzer. In 2003, Fetzer registered the domain system76.com to sell computers with the Linux operating system installed. The idea was not pursued until two years later. In mid 2005, Richell and Fetzer's most important and challenging question in the early stages of the company was which Linux distribution to use. Their quest to bring Linux to the mass market required choosing the best distribution for their customers. Red Hat Enterprise Linux, OpenSUSE, Yoper and other distributions were considered and dismissed. Ubuntu was initially dismissed, but Richell and Fetzer changed their mind quickly after evaluating it more thoroughly. Further, Richell was particularly fond of Canonical’s business model: completely free software, which was backed by commercial support as necessary. The first computers sold by System76 shipped with Ubuntu 5.10 Breezy Badger preinstalled.
Company name
The number 76 in the company name alludes to the year 1776, the year in which the American Revolution took place. The company founders hope likewise to ignite an open source revolution, ultimately leading to a situation in which consumers do not rely primarily on proprietary software.
Products
System76's products are typically named after the fauna of Africa.
Laptops
Desktops
Servers
The servers sold by System76 were some of the first servers to offer the Ubuntu Linux distribution pre-installed. Recent models, as of 2012, have garnered generally positive reviews, which cite value and hardware compatibility as primary advantages.
Community relations
The company actively promotes Ubuntu with its Free Ubuntu Sticker program, sending small stickers labeled "Powered by Ubuntu" and "Ubuntu Key" to fans who send self-addressed, stamped envelopes to the System76 Corporate office in Denver, Colorado.
The company has a history of sponsoring the Ubuntu Developer Summit. Their official support forums are hosted by Canonical, Ltd. , the primary developer of Ubuntu.
System76 is an active member in the Colorado Ubuntu Community, serving as the corporate sponsor for Ubuntu LoCo events and release parties in the area.