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The day of the Linux desktop might never arrive, but Linux users are getting some increasingly impressive hardware tailored to their needs thanks to Linux-devoted hardware makers like [ZaReason](https://zareason.com/shop/Laptops/), [Purism](https://puri.sm/) and [System76](https://system76.com/).
Why would even the biggest of Linux fans need dedicated Linux hardware? Well, aside from getting rid of that pesky Windows key, the big draw is that, to borrow a catch phrase from System76, you can stop fighting your hardware and just run Linux. There's no need to wrestle with obscure drivers, risk having an unsupported screen resolution or any of the other problems Linux users face when re-purposing Windows machines.
After using System76's recently revamped Lemur laptop for over a month now I am happy to report that yes, it is rather nice to not ever need to think about drivers or hardware at all. In fact it reminds me of Apple hardware of seven years ago -- everything just works. Except for Skype, but that's not surprising given its current owner (and my problems appear to have been the result of a [bug in Ubuntu](https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/skype/+bug/1078068), not System76 hardware).
The Lemur is ostensibly System76's low end laptop. It's certainly the cheapest at the base configuration, but that's not really the whole story -- the Lemur is highly configurable depending on your needs. The low end starts at $700 and gets you an Intel i3 chip at 2.3GHz, along with 4GB of RAM and 500GB 7200 drive. From there you can run all the way up to $2250, which will upgrade the processor to an i7-6500Ui, 16GB of RAM, a 512GB M.2 SSD and another 2TB SSD.
All models feature a very nice 14.1″ 1920×1080 matte IPS display, Intel 520 graphics card, multitouch touchpad, a chiclet-style keyboard, HDMI and VGA ports, a 720p webcam and a removable 4 Cell battery. Yes, a removable battery. You can even buy a few extra. All of that comes in metal-framed, understated gray plastic package that weighs 3.6 pounds.
The particular model System76 sent me features the i7 processor, 8 GB RAM and 120GB M.2 SSD, putting it pretty squarely in the middle of the Lemur lineup. The model I tested retails for $977.
Like all System76 machines it came preloaded with the latest version of Ubuntu Linux (and features the Ubuntu logo on the "Windows" key). If you're already a Linux user there are no surprises here. If Ubuntu is not to your liking, System76 machines work just fine with all the version of Linux I loaded up (Mint, Debian and Fedora). Official support is limited to Ubuntu, but unofficially the System76 folks I talked to said they would always do what they could for users who opt for a different distro.
And this is precisely the advantage of System76 machines over, for example, Dell's Precision and Latitude models -- which are optimized for Ubuntu. In a word: support. While Dell's support has been, in my experience with the first round of [XPS 13 Developer Edition](http://www.wired.com/2013/07/dell-xps-linux/), hit or miss, with an emphasis on the latter.
System76 on the other hand has been nothing short of amazing. It might help that System76's Linux support isn't a goodwill effort for a small group of developers, but is in fact its sole business. Which is to say that the support is better and won't disappear on you.
That said, everything here just works so you may not even need the support.
The Lemur is not the most powerful rig out there (If you want something with more power, check out the [Oryx Pro](https://system76.com/laptops/oryx), which can pack in up to 64GB of RAM and 5 TB of solid state storage). While the Lemur isn't the most powerful laptop out there it was able to handle everything I do on a regular basis, even the more intensive stuff like editing a reasonably large photo library in [Darktable](http://darktable.org/) (about 30,000 images) and editing 4K video (using [Kdenlive](https://kdenlive.org/)) without too much trouble (rendering video did take quite a while, but that's true on my 2012 Macbook Pro as well).
Where the Lemur falls on its face is battery life. System76 claims the battery will last through a flight across the country, which is an interestingly vague metric, but assuming that means 4.5 hours, then I'd agree.
I was able to get almost 5 hours of battery life when I stuck to basic web browsing and text editing. That's okay for a $700 laptop, but pretty bad if you spend $2000+ on one of the higher end models. On the plus side that is a removable battery so you can always pick up a second one (and I suggest you do if you plan to be away from power source all day).
Despite the dismal battery life the Lemur is a solid laptop, the first I've tested that I wish I could keep. The design is simple and well thought out, the hardware works flawlessly with Linux and at the mid to upper end of the configuration spectrum, it's plenty powerful enough for the average Linux user.
Wired: Hardware problems are a thing of the past for Linux users, nice matte display and plenty of power in the mid to high end configurations.
Tired: Battery life leaves much to be desired, official support is limited to Ubuntu Linux and RAM maxes out at 16GB.
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