System76 Launches Pop!_OS Linux Distro To Much Fanfare, Check It Out

Pop!_OS is a new Ubuntu-based Linux distribution from System76, flaunting the COSMIC Desktop Environment and available on either a PC of your choice or one of many US-made laptops or desktops. While the naming of Pop!_OS recalls a more distant era of computing, the operating system itself is quite modern, featuring all the core features you've come to expect from Windows plus some enticing additions. The tagline is to "Use an operating system built to work with you, not against you," so there's no forced AI bloat to worry about here, just modern Linux in a Desktop Environment meant to showcase all of its glory.



The best part is, since all of this is being done with Linux, it's totally free and open source. There's no oblique Windows 11 system requirements to worry about here. If you want to support System76, you do have the option of buying one of its laptops, desktops, or keyboards, but be warned beforehand that the company's machines are high-performance and tailored for professionals first and foremost. That does mean the System76-built machines cost a fair amount of money too, but they are well-spec'd and appear to be fairly well-built from the perspective of airflow and noise level. For US-based open source enthusiasts, System76's machines or keyboards may well be worth buying.


For everyone else, or those who just wish to dip their toes before making any decisions one way or another, Pop!_OS is dead easy to install, so long as you pick the correct version from the official download page. AMD, NVIDIA, x86, and Arm systems are all supported. After that, it's just a matter of slapping it on a USB drive with the help of Rufus, rebooting into your BIOS, and setting the USB drive as your launch drive. Like other Linux distributions, Pop!_OS supports being run purely from the USB drive, so you can try it out without committing to replacing Windows or making a separate drive partition for it.

Image Credit: System76