System76 Puts Pop!_OS Into Beta

System76 is today announcing the beta release of their Ubuntu-derived Pop!_OS Linux operating system.

Pop!_OS continues to be built off Ubuntu but with the transition from Unity 7 to GNOME on the upstream Ubuntu desktop, System76 continues investing in their own modifications to the desktop as well as other areas like installer improvements, a better first-run experience, etc.

Today's beta is in line with upstream Ubuntu 17.10 preparing their final beta. System76 is also planning to have their release out next month too on 19 October.

Some of our past System76 articles have covered some of the changes made so far to this desktop-focused distribution that will soon begin shipping on System76's new desktops and laptops.

Known issues pointed out to us by System76 with their beta include:

Beta known issues (bugs that will be fixed prior to final release):

On HiDPI displays Initial Setup is not scaled

nVidia systems with Optimus may require removing “splash” from the kernel boot parameter

Firefox incorrectly displays a privacy notice and upgrade option on first use

Installer release notes point to an Ubuntu site

Those wanting to give the beta a shot can download it from System76.com with spins for Intel/AMD and a separate spin for NVIDIA systems where you will get the proprietary driver experience.