I see System76 as serving a more general Linux market, so I’m not surprised that they don’t support Heads and Qubes.
I’m impressed by what System76 did with the free/open hardware case and IO daughter card in the Thelio, and the free/open EC firmware on their laptops and Thelio.
What is interesting to me is the fact that System76 and Purism seem to be switching roles on different platforms.
For laptops, Purism uses high-priced, small-scale custom manufacturing, whereas System76 used Clevo base models. For desktop PCs, the System76 Thelio uses high-priced, small-scale custom manufacturing, whereas Purism’s Librem Mini uses an ODM (probably Eglobal) base model.
Since I care about free software and free hardware, I want both companies to exist, since they are pushing the envelope in different areas. If System76 can push Purism to use free EC firmware in its laptops, I will be very happy.