What would that look like? Shifting to becoming a software developer and leading the charge a Desktop Linux? A vertical integrator like Apple, Microsoft Surface, System 76 (yes those are varying degrees of success)?

I really like the NUC products. They have the knowledge and skills to do everything (cpu, ram, soc, radio/wifi/cell (or used too), storage) in house but industrial design (maybe they do). I have never personally experienced a software experience from Intel I have ever remotely enjoyed.

Edit: Actually there is software I have used from Intel that I have really enjoyed, the BIOS for the NUC. So I stand corrected.

> Edit: Actually there is software I have used from Intel that I have really enjoyed, the BIOS for the NUC. So I stand corrected.

I am hugely appreciative of Intel's substantial contributions to the Linux kernel, which is obviously software.

Being able to run Linux natively on modern Intel laptops with full 3D hardware acceleration, modesetting, and working suspend/resume using mainline drivers has been a game changer for decades. Without their stepping up and setting an example here, I doubt we'd have amdgpu today, desktop Linux use in general would be far less possible.

Intel already has its own Gnu/Linux distribution called Clear Linux[1].

They have their own silicon (obs) and their own NUC hardware.

I’d love to see that all come together into a really polished platform.

Linux shines when the hardware had good, open source drivers available.

1. https://clearlinux.org/

They would be perfect. Microsoft bungled their Linux desktop moment and I think they will never get it right because of conflict of interest. So Intel would be very welcome in this regard.