Is Librem 15 for me?

Hardware
8

Sounds like @vtntimo has made a decision, which I respect. I am writing this reply for the consideration of other forum readers who may have similar questions.

I am also a web developer and former OSX user with a lot of overlap in work-tool requirements and relative level of Linux experience, when I decided to take the plunge. I had been using my personal laptop for dev work and when my company offered to buy me a new laptop for work, I ordered the Librem 15 v3 which arrived in early January, 2018. Here are my thoughts:

  1. “Is Librem and PureOS suitable for a novice Linux user?” I think so, but there is a learning curve, for sure. This forum is helpful, as are the issue tracker and #purism channel on free-node. PureOS runs PureBrowser by default, which is built on Firefox. I have also run Chromium and Tor Browser with no difficulty. None of this prevents users from access to Google or any other online service.

  2. “Does the Librem and PureOS fit ‘heavy-duty’ use?” Yes, definitely. I have experienced issues, as have others on this forum, but we do find solutions.

  3. Touchpad? Works great, except when it hasn’t. My touchpad has stopped working twice, but I’ve been able to get it back within about 24 hours of a breaking change. What you need to know is that this product is backed by a passionate team of smart problem-solvers. If something breaks, tell them and they will help you find a solution. I should mention the touchpad on the 15" laptop is off-center, offset to accommodate the number pad on the keyboard, so this doesn’t really bother me, but some have mentioned they find it annoying.

  4. PureOS install was simple. OOB configuration was pretty nice, including about 35-40 applications, most of which are utilities or essentials. It also includes a program called “Boxes” where you can run VMs in parallel. It is pretty easy to customize PureOS. Choose your shell of choice to run install, un-install, upgrade and update scripts. Debian systems use apt for this, and you can specify which repositories you want apt to look at in the /etc/apt/ directory sources.list file(s). (Obviously Purism cannot ensure data security issues with any software installed from repos outside of their control.) PureOS also comes with a Package Updater GUI tool which lets you select (or deselect) whichever packages you want to update, if you prefer.

  5. Main workhorse? Yes. I’ve been an Apple user for many years, but did have some Windows laptops long ago. Librem is excellent. I’d rate it 4 out of 5.

  6. I welcome the limitations based on the assumption that the team at Purism knows more about data security than I do. You can install Atom by following these instructions, which will probably add a file or small directory to your /etc/apt/ folder in order to allow your system to enable the appropriate repository to track updates. I currently run Sublime-Text3, as well as a few other non-purism-endorsed applications without difficulty.

  7. The keyboard is great. If you’re in Sweden, I think this is what you need. Or maybe this. If you need to do more detailed key mapping, that can be done, as well. Is it finnicky? Yes. Will it work? Yes.

  8. I have no experience with cold weather use. I live in Austin, Texas and will report back in a few months about extended outdoor high-temperature use (if I remember). I work mostly indoors, though.

Purism is a small, young company and they are still working out some of the glitches, most of which I consider minor irritations. My monitor has an irritating flashing problem which seems to be related to the power supply. (It only happens while charging.) I am working with the team to determine the exact cause and I’m hopeful it will be fixed. There are some points on the laptop where I feel it is a little too thin. For example, I sometimes feel a little “give” if I squeeze the front of the laptop too hard while closing the lid or picking it up to put in my backpack. I’ve read that some users have inadvertently disconnected the internal solder connection on the headphone while inserting or removing headphones, but this hasn’t happened to me.

Overall though, I’m really happy with my Librem 15. I have been disappointed with the direction of my former favorite manufacturer and Purism’s mission resonates with my ideology. Like you, my work necessitates that some of the software I install on my work laptop cannot be truly “free”. But I’m certain that my data security is in better hands running Purism’s hardware and software than it would be under the control of most of the other manufacturers.

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