If you want to dip your feet in without making any permanent decisions, try using a virtual machine or a live USB.

The virtual machine is effectively no risk but slightly slower. The live USB gives you a more realistic experience (except for boot times) but it is possible to erase your data if you miss the several warning messages and press the “I know what I’m doing, proceed anyway” button.

If you feel like Linux could work but you’re not ready to fully commit, you can dualboot. I had both Windows and Linux for 2-3 years before I was comfortable enough to not boot Windows.

My personal preference is Linux Mint because it looks and feels very similar to Windows (I’m currently running LMDE). Any distro with KDE should also feel fairly familiar. Bazzite is more designed around gaming, but should still be adequate for most of your needs. It does have the reputation of being unbreakable.

I don’t have time for troubleshooting. I just want an OS that runs, does what I need it to do, and stays out of my way. For the last 3 years, Linux has done that for me where Windows wouldn’t.

I just discovered CopyParty. This video does a good job of explaining it.

Internet access is more difficult and less secure than LAN access. It can be done with a VPN hosted from a device on your LAN, but it’s not trivial.
Port forwarding may also work, but be very careful with security. Opening ports to the internet is generally not recommend.

I bought a new phone somewhat recently. My main feature request was small. There were 0 options, so I ended up with one that’s 50% larger than my last phone.

My eyes work fine. I don’t need a huge screen. I just want something that I can hold.

I also don’t need a razor thin phone. More battery capacity is an acceptable compromise for added durability and not hurting my hand.

It only works on Google Pixel phones.

There are other operating systems, and some more open (but more expensive) manufacturers like Fairphone and PinePhone.

The video showed up in my feed and only watched it because of your recommendation.

The video is so information-dense that I feel like I’ve watched a 10 hour video and been hit by a sledgehammer.

You couldn’t get software this good for any amount of money. I will be using it.

LocalSend for transferring files between devices on a local network.

More self hosting than a program, but Home Assistant has legitimately changed my life. It allows for full home automation run entirely from within your home. The customisation options are effectively as unlimited as programming, while still somewhat holding your hand (unless you go full programming mode).

F-Droid because I hate having ads shoved in my face for daring to use the official installation method for an android app. You may find quite a few apps by smaller development teams or dedicated individuals that suck less than the big apps.

[Lynx](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lynx_(web_browser) web browser. Not particularly usable for most tasks, but simple. Very handy if you accidentally delete your desktop environment and don’t have a second device with internet access.

I know, but I’d rather leave them to people who really want them, and support the people working hard to make open source products.

I want a fairphone 4 with either e/OS or Ubuntu touch. It’s still a little out of my price range though.

I would love to run grapheneOS on my phone, but I’m not willing to pay Google to not use Android.

I don’t personally have a regular mouse, but most “gamer” mice have a DPI button.

I have seen several pro gamers use the DPI button on their mouse to rapidly change their precision while playing. I suspect it would take more practice than I’m willing to put in, but they seem to use it to great effect.

That may be technically true, but what’s stopping someone from using the same button on a regular mouse?

A regular mouse can have a large amount of movement with your elbow and very fine control with your wrist. Your thumb on a trackball may have more range or precision than either, but not both combined.

My personal experience is that a trackball mouse is a little less accurate when trying to move a large distance precisely. Perhaps I just need more practice.

The mouse stays in one location with grippy feet and the trackball moves the cursor. There is no sensor for mouse movement. It does take a while to get used to.

The reason I chose it was that I didn’t have enough desk space to move a mouse. I barely even had enough space to put the mouse. Now that I’ve moved house, I just like the novelty. It’s not as accurate as a regular mouse.

I would love a mouse that could do both regular movement and trackball movement so I could have 4 axis inputs. Sadly, I haven’t found any like that.

They do have a trackpad, but not in this shape.

I was surprised when I started using the Steamdeck. The Steamdeck’s trackpad felt almost identical to my trackball mouse, and it took effectively no time to get used to it.

The advantage of a trackball over a trackpad is that you can spin the ball for high movement speed, then stop it after a set time for fairly accurate distance. A trackball (or trackpad) will never be as accurate as a regular moue, but it is surprisingly usable (after a few months or practice).

I had 2 Logitech m570s fail on me before I bought the Ploopy Thumb. So far it’s lasted longer than either Logitech mouse, and looks like it will manage to be my longest surviving mouse.

My scroll wheel was very stiff and irritating at first. It did loosen over time and is now completely useable. It doesn’t free-spin, but it also doesn’t take a lot of force to move.

The lack of clicking is a little disconcerting, but not a deal-breaker for me. I guess you could add an extra part to make it click — like putting a playing card in the spokes of a bicycle wheel.

Because I bought the trackball mouse, I changed the trackball to scroll when a button is held. I now have horizontal and vertical scrolling, and don’t use the scroll wheel except for middle clicking.

The PCB has electrical buttons permanently attached. The 3D printed parts have protrusions that touch the buttons.
You could possibly redesign the 3D printed parts only, but at some size increase you may need to start looking into redesigning the PCB.

The good news is that the mouse itself is bigger than the picture makes it seem. You might actually be OK without modifications.

If you do want to give it a try, I highly recommend buying the kit and fully assembling it yourself. That way you know that it works, and you have a solid foundation to apply the modifications to.

You don’t need to pay them anything.

You can just download all the files they’ve made available and build one yourself. The electronics have full schematics so you can either make it yourself or send the schematics to a PCB company. The shell is entirely 3d printed. All extra hardware is readily available.

If that sounds like a lot of work, maybe it’s worth paying the person who created it and is offering to do all that work for you.

I’d be interested to see how well it works.

Overuse and poor lighting.

I know some people have used an acetone vapor bath with ABS prints. I’ve never looked into what works with PLA.

All the 3d printed parts have files available online. You can 3d print new parts using any material you want.

As far as I’m aware, PLA is mostly safe, but every company has different proprietary additives.

Something plant based like cellulose would be nice. Longevity wouldn’t be a concern with how easy it is to reprint and reassemble.

Wireless would be nice.