NovaCustom – Framework Laptop alternative focusing on privacy • Hacker News Board

Re: NovaCustom – Framework Laptop alternative focusing on privacy

#21

Post by rpdillon » Sat, Jun 28, 2025, 9:29 PM UTC

zamalek wrote: post #8

necovek wrote: post #2

This seems to have nothing similar to what Framework laptop offers. The main (only?) selling point for NovaCustom is open source coreboot firmware and disabling of Intel ME. I'd like to see Framework laptop with these features, but those two features do not make a Framework alternative.

I took a poke around their website and it looks like you can purchase a motherboard. It seems this exists somewhere between the mainstream and Framework: a regular laptop with right to repair. NVIDIA, though? We are still a good few months, or years, away from attempting to seriously use NVIDIA and Linux in the same sentence without looking like a complete idiot.

I'm not sure what you're talking about here. I am a customer of System76 several times over. I just purchased a laptop for my 15-year-old that runs Pop_OS and has an NVIDIA card, and he has been doing both AI on it as well as high-end gaming, all is zero assistance from me in getting things set up. I also worked on self-driving cars and maintained fleets of hundreds of machines with H100s, all running Ubuntu.

I don't feel like a complete idiot, but now you're making me wonder. What's your experience been?

Re: NovaCustom – Framework Laptop alternative focusing on privacy

#22

Post by Fire-Dragon-DoL » Sat, Jun 28, 2025, 9:33 PM UTC

cosmic_cheese wrote: post #13

Fire-Dragon-DoL wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think system76 is now designing their own hardware too?

As far as I know, for models currently on sale that applies only to their desktops (which are cool, but considerably more niche since people interested in desktops are likely to build their own), with their laptops being Clevos.

Ah I see!

Re: NovaCustom – Framework Laptop alternative focusing on privacy

#23

Post by haiku2077 » Sat, Jun 28, 2025, 9:36 PM UTC

horsellama wrote: post #10

stavros wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Don't Frameworks ship with QMK now, allowing you to customize the entire keyboard at the hardware level?

oh yes, they do but I meant the actual sticker on the keycap (very silly requirement, I know)

Framework offers either a Windows logo or the Framework logo

Re: NovaCustom – Framework Laptop alternative focusing on privacy

#24

Post by umbra07 » Sat, Jun 28, 2025, 9:56 PM UTC

stavros wrote: post #5

horsellama wrote: post #3

finally a vendor that allows the customization of the super key and also ships with nvidia gpu I might have found a new laptop…

Don't Frameworks ship with QMK now, allowing you to customize the entire keyboard at the hardware level?

16s do, but not the 13s.

Re: NovaCustom – Framework Laptop alternative focusing on privacy

#25

Post by AlotOfReading » Sat, Jun 28, 2025, 10:15 PM UTC

rpdillon wrote: post #21

zamalek wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I took a poke around their website and it looks like you can purchase a motherboard. It seems this exists somewhere between the mainstream and Framework: a regular laptop with right to repair. NVIDIA, though? We are still a good few months, or years, away from attempting to seriously use NVIDIA and Linux in the same sentence without looking like a complete idiot.

I'm not sure what you're talking about here. I am a customer of System76 several times over. I just purchased a laptop for my 15-year-old that runs Pop_OS and has an NVIDIA card, and he has been doing both AI on it as well as high-end gaming, all is zero assistance from me in getting things set up. I also worked on self-driving cars and maintained fleets of hundreds of machines with H100s, all running Ubuntu. I don't…

My Linux system has a nasty little bug in the card audio ouput system that results in dropped audio when there's too much bus traffic. That's a direct result of Nvidia issues deep in the stack. And of course, Nvidia's automotive division is infuriating to work with.

Good Linux support though.

Re: NovaCustom – Framework Laptop alternative focusing on privacy

#26

Post by antif » Sat, Jun 28, 2025, 10:23 PM UTC

cosmic_cheese wrote: post #4

I don’t mean to minimize the company’s role in their offerings, but are these rebadged Clevo/Tongfang/etc laptops? There’s a place for those but that would make NovaCustom more comparable to system76 or Tuxedo than Framework, which designs their own hardware.

I’d wish custom development could be minimized and everyone instead assembled next generation systems using the best open, standardized, and reusable parts.. which then could be sourced or salvaged on almost any continent. Just a wish.

Re: NovaCustom – Framework Laptop alternative focusing on privacy

#27

Post by transpute » Sat, Jun 28, 2025, 10:24 PM UTC

Which laptop vendors have an option to fully disable Intel ME?

  - Clevo ODM laptops with coreboot (OEM: NovaCustom, Purism, System76)
  - Some (?) pricy Dell Rugged laptops, at purchase time 
  - Some (?) standard HP business laptops, via BIOS

Re: NovaCustom – Framework Laptop alternative focusing on privacy

#28

Post by ementally » Sat, Jun 28, 2025, 10:26 PM UTC

princevegeta89 wrote: post #9

I don't understand... what is the privacy concern with Framework Laptops? All hardware used is transparent and replacable. Software is the user's choice, and many users go for Linux. It is as transparent as you can make an OS to be. What am I missing here..?

https://4fa2b80c.privsec-dev-2oz.pages.dev/posts/knowledge/l...

>Framework. vPro Enterprise Framework devices actually meet HSI level 4, but they unfortunately do not handle firmware updates properly. They have not shipped a single firmware for their 13th generation over a year since its release date, and over 6 months since the disclosure of LogoFail. While they do ship some updates for other devices, how they have been handling so far is not acceptable if you need a secure device.

Re: NovaCustom – Framework Laptop alternative focusing on privacy

#29

Post by 1vuio0pswjnm7 » Sat, Jun 28, 2025, 11:18 PM UTC

Note that the coreboot that NovaCustom uses is not the same coreboot that Purism or System76 is using. It's Dasharo coreboot. This is not free (as in price). NovaCustom has to pay for a license. How much of that cost is reflected in high price tag for NovaCustom. Maybe it is not much.

If the purchaser does not want Dasharo, they can usually compile their own non-Dasharo coreboot and flash it themselves.

Re: NovaCustom – Framework Laptop alternative focusing on privacy

#30

Post by bigyabai » Sat, Jun 28, 2025, 11:21 PM UTC

zamalek wrote: post #8

necovek wrote: post #2

This seems to have nothing similar to what Framework laptop offers. The main (only?) selling point for NovaCustom is open source coreboot firmware and disabling of Intel ME. I'd like to see Framework laptop with these features, but those two features do not make a Framework alternative.

I took a poke around their website and it looks like you can purchase a motherboard. It seems this exists somewhere between the mainstream and Framework: a regular laptop with right to repair. NVIDIA, though? We are still a good few months, or years, away from attempting to seriously use NVIDIA and Linux in the same sentence without looking like a complete idiot.

Nvidia drivers have included serious Wayland support since the 550 series. My NixOS Nvidia system has run equally as smooth as my Intel iGPU for close to a year now.