System76 News: Coreboot and Linux Advances

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As the 4th month of the year comes to a close, we celebrate the 4th release of Pop!_OS, which had updates to GNOME, Ubuntu, and the Linux kernel, as well as new additions such as Dark Mode, Slim Mode, and Refresh Installs. Continue reading to get the scoop on what’s next for Pop!_OS and more!

Firmware

Coreboot is one step closer

We’ve expanded ourCoreboot testing to the Intel model of Thelio. Galago Pro models and the Darter Pro have also received bug fixes for suspend, and improvements have been made for Thunderbolt. There are still some bugs buzzing around Coreboot, but initial tests look promising.                                  

Pop!_OS

Updates Galore with 19.04

In case you missed it, Pop!_OS 19.04 landed on the 18th! Here are a few features and upgrades released in 19.04:

• The Slim Mode option maximizes your screen real estate by reducing the height of the header on application windows.
• Dark Mode gives your applications a relaxing ambience for nighttime viewing. Both Dark Mode and Slim Mode can be activated in the Appearance settings menu.
• Refresh Install allows you to reinstall Pop!_OS without losing Users and any data in your Home directories. This feature is available from the recovery partition on new installations (not upgrades) of both 19.04 and 18.04. For more information on how to do this, see our article on using the recovery partition.
• Pop!_OS icons: The icons for Pop!_OS applications, files, and folders have been redesigned to complement GNOME’s icons under their new design guidelines. If you’re grieving the loss of the previous look, don’t fret; Pop! Planet offers the older icon theme as an option.
• GNOME has been updated to version 3.32

See our blog post for thorough details on all the new updates and instructions on how to upgrade. Note that 19.04 will continue to see more features to help improve the desktop experience, so stay tuned in social media for those updates.

Software Packages

• Discord andAlacritty were packaged for inclusion into our repos, though they will not appear in the Pop!_Shop until the appstream metadata is also added to our repositories.
• Lutris, Gamehub, and VS Code have all received version updates.

Alacritty is a terminal emulator that uses the GPU to render the terminal and its contents. If you wish to set it as your default terminal application, you can do so by running the following command:

sudo update-alternatives –config x-terminal-emulator

Thank You Pop!_Volunteers

• @stratact submitted a patch to refactor some of the code in Popsicle
• @stratact also wrote a library and tool to aid with creating DEP11 appstream metadata, which isnow a Pop! project.
• @kylecorry31 has migrated development of the Do Not Disturb extension to our repos, which have also been updated.Repo

Conferences & Meetups

Upcoming Events

LinuxFest Northwest | Bellingham, WA | April 26-28

System76 is headed to LinuxFest Northwest on April 26th-28th! Come visit us at our booth over by the raffle area. Meet Emma, Thomas, Aaron, and Levi of our support team (and Alex, who also does things) and enjoy some banter with us about Linux, superheroes, the color pink, and any other topic you’re in the mood to talk about! We’re not too picky. Be sure to join Jupiter Broadcasting and System76 for our parking lot BBQ on Saturday, April 27th! RSVP onMeetup, where you can see all the details, or withEmma.

KiCon | Chicago | April 26-27

Louisa, our VP of Marketing, will be at KiCon in Chicago on April 26th-27th to talk about our work in KiCad designing the IO board for the Thelio desktop line. PCB there or be square!

Pop!_Release Party | Denver | May 4

On May 4th, come join us at our office in Denver, Colorado to celebrate Ubuntu and Pop!_OS 19.04 release! Meet System76 staff and members of the Colorado Ubuntu community, indulge in food and beverage, and take a tour of our factory. RSVP onMeetup, where you can see all the details, or withEmma, and May the 19.04th be with you!

Past Happenings

GNOME Party

On April 20th, we gathered at The Grateful Gnome in Denver to celebrate the release of GNOME 3.32! Drinks were shared. Tales were told. Pointy hats were dearly missed, but we still felt at gnome among friends.

Press Coverage

Linus Tech Tips

Pop!_OS was featured onLinus Tech Tips this month! Watch hosts Anthony Young and James Strieb reenact the Matrix as they discuss gaming on Linux with Pop!_OS!

Level1Tech review of Thelio

Stares into the camera abound in Level1Tech’s new review! Enjoy the many faces of Wendell as he unpacks his first impressions of Thelio.

Opensource.com article on System76 manufacturing

Don Watkins ofOpensource.com discusses System76’s use of open hardware in manufacturing Thelio.

Destination Linux and This Week in Linux

Michael Tunnell fromDestination Linux andThis Week in Linux was in Denver this month and decided to drop us a visit! You could say we were…his Destination. We treated him to lunch and a grand tour of le factory. We’re looking forward to seeing his reactions to his visit on his shows this week!

Customer Stories

Rock the TASBot for Mental Illness

Team TASBot is headed to Utah for their annual Desert Tesla Charity Drive, which will be streamed on the Oryx Pro! ThisTwitch stream features dwangoAC and TheAxeMan as they become wildly uncomfortable in their respective Teslas, as donations determine the methods of discomfort. Viewers are encouraged to use Crowd Control to alter a car’s features, such as the max speed, car horn, music, and internal temperature, and even make the car dance.

Funds raised during the stream go towards supporting the National Alliance on Mental Illness , an organization that advocates for educational programs and public policy and offers a free hotline for providing support and information.

If there’s anything else you want to hear about in these newsletters in the future, be it tech or office dogs or anything in between, just shoot an email over toKatie.