System76 is far from the first company to offer pre-installed Linux computers to the public, but they’re probably the one who’s most serious about it.

On their homepage one can find a series of fairly stylish looking laptops and desktops powered by Ubuntu Linux. Even though I haven’t had my hands on any of these computers, just by judging by the specs and prices they seem to be a good alternative to other vendors. In contrast to other companies providing similar solutions, this company have really invested time and money into providing a nice and professional website, with features such as computer customization (much like Dell.com).

The question remains though; Is Linux ready to power the desktop of an average user? Two years ago, I’d definitely say no, but things have changed since then. With the recent desktop focus and improvements of both Fedora and Ubuntu, I’d say Linux is now ready for the desktop. In particular for the ‘average office/student user,’ where the tasks are limited to e-mail, web-browsing, word-processing and spreadsheet-editing.

Even though I have no intention of replacing my OS X-running laptop at this point, if I were to switch it away for something else, I would probably consider buying a Darter Ultra from System76.

Verdict: I agree with System76, Linux is now ready for the desktop, and I wish them the very best. Hopefully this is a company we will see more of in the future. When we need to buy more computers, System76 is likely be the supplier.