System76 working on a keyboard due in the summer

Mar 26, 2020 08:10 GMT  ·  By

System76 is ready to expand its hardware unit with the addition of a new device, but this time won’t be a Linux laptop, but a Linux keyboard.

While at first glance it’s pretty difficult to image how a keyboard can be specifically tailored to the world of Linux, System76’s CEO Carl Richell explains that it all comes down to the integration with the Pop!_OS operating system.

“Auto tiling in our upcoming Pop!_OS 20.04 release is designed to work extremely well with this keyboard, and I think that people are going to really respond to it—it’s going to be a completely new and amazing experience, and I think that folks are going to start to really see why we’ve decided to bring all of the different silos, from hardware to manufacturing to OS, all in-house under one roof,” he explained.

State-of-the-art ergonomics

But System76 wants the keyboard to excel in terms of design as well. And while it won’t be a stunning piece of technology, at least in terms of looks, the Linux keyboard will make typing more comfortable thanks to ideas based on research.

For example, the keyboard will come without a number pad, as System76 says that without one, the mouse can be much closer to you, which means the moves that you must do with your hand require less effort.

“It doesn’t necessarily have to feel like something different—you can plug it in and use it like any other keyboard. But you’re going to have less strain on your hands, because instead of using your pinkies, you’ll use your thumbs for common keystrokes and key combinations. Or instead of having to reach very far, keys like backspace can be very easy to reach now,” Richell notes.

The keyboard is projected to go live in the summer, but further details, like pricing, are yet to be disclosed. Of course, more information will surface closer to the release date.