Linux Devices Require User Patience

February 2020 I bought a system76 Thelio Major AMD desktop computer to replace a 10 year old desktop I had built myself. I was pretty happy with the purchase until the computer started regularly locking up requiring a hard restart to resolve. Later, an update to system76’s software or perhaps the Linux kernel caused the fans to always run at full speed creating a very loud box despite their pitch of being designed to be extremely quiet.

This week after a Fedora kernel and system76 update, the fans once again quieted down; the locking up still happens sporadically (I consider this a problem with AMD and not system76) but otherwise the computer is now functioning as I originally expected.

This expensive purchase was meant to provide a hassle free decade of computer use but gave me a noisy, locking mess instead. As with any Linux problem, I reported it and  patiently waited for a resolution. Unlike Purism which focuses on using older, open hardware, System76 has a few more bugs due to selling the latest and greatest. If a user is patient then these problems are eventually fixed which I am glad to say has happened for the Thelio.

For Linux users, the ideal device often takes time to reach its fulfillment. This kerfuffle with my computer reminded me of the Purism Librem 5 phone which has mostly been sitting around collecting dust. The phone is the result of a very ambitious project by Purism to create an open, private, Linux phone with hardware kill-switches. My phone came November 2020 and has received steady operating system and software updates resulting in a fairly smooth user experience (nowhere near Apple and Google but let us maintain realistic expectations.) If the phone is ever certified for use with VoLTE I will give it a try as my regular phone.

Expectations for this sort of low volume devices need to be set properly for the purchaser. With the Librem 5 I expected a phone that would be unusable for a year or two after receiving it; I get to enjoy watching the ecosystem grow for Linux phones and read about Purism's contribution to open software and hardware development. With the Thelio Major I expected a mostly stable system upon first boot; this was the impression I absorbed from their website. My incorrect assumption lowered my opinion of their devices despite their helpful support department's best efforts to pinpoint and (unsuccessfully) resolve the problems.