Linux Is Free, But I Pay for Linux PCs: Here's Why
Quoting: Linux Is Free, But I Pay for Linux PCs: Here's Why —
Linux PCs used to be pretty generic. Many of them were machines from a company called Clevo, with each applying a different sticker on the back and swapping out the components under the hood. Many still do this, but a number are supplying their own custom hardware.
I'm typing this on a StarLite MK IV from Star Labs, and I'm eyeing the newer StarLite, which is now a Surface-style tablet PC. I've owned a Librem 13 from Purism, which came with hardware kill switches before those were more common-place. These are all machines that, when I sit them down next to my wife's MacBook, don't look like relics from the past. Linux hardware has come a long way.
Sometimes you buy a Linux PC to save yourself the headache of installing things yourself. Sometimes you buy one out of the goodness of your heart. Sometimes you buy one because, like with the Steam Deck, the device is just that good.