experience with Framework computers

Have mine for a year and a half. Fantastic little thing.

how linux runs on them

Good enough that Fedora site sports one. I guess you could call it

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a poster child for Linux.

how loud are they

Actually they are designed to shed more heat (32W) than a comparable X1 Carbon (20W if you’re lucky). This means that under sustained load it sounds like a little vacuum cleaner; it also means that it runs faster for longer. When not hammering the CPU, the fan is mostly idle. You can even override the EC and control the fan yourself, but I haven’t.

and if they are too gimicky.

They are fucking great!

The only downside is that their design hints at Macs, inviting comparison. Macs are machined to perfection, obviously. Frameworks, with their good build quality, are still not. If you put them side by side, the Framework looks a little like

Then again, you can always combine these with the logo to own it.