For me, I would first replace the smartwatch, since that’s the most intertwined with the “ecosystem” (more like a hellish prison, but whatever…), then try and replace the computer(s), since Linux devices will work better with iPhones than Mac does with Android (and mobile Linux) devices.

I used to use an iPhone, and moving to an Android device was relatively smooth bar WhatsApp, which was incredibly annoying to deal with. It is possible to transfer message history though, and my family (now on Android) are very happy to get much better battery life!

If you need specific recommendations, I would go for the Fairphone if possible, else Sony Xperia and OnePlus devices are pretty neat too (former if you like headphone jack and notchless display, latter if you want top spec mobile gaming). You also have mobile Linux being a real option nowadays with the Jolla Phone (SailfishOS) and Nura devices (OnePlus 6/6T, Pocophone F1, Fairphones, etc.)

As for smartwatches, you have WearOS watches of course, but jumping into another ecosystem isn’t great. Pebble is really fun, and if you are into fitness Garmin has lots of options, and both work for iOS and Android (nice!), meaning it is an easier transition.

For Android tablets, OnePlus ones are pretty good though, and GrapheneOS can run on the Pixel Tablet. You of course have the various x86 tablets that can run Linux, as well as many ARM devices that support Nura (formerly postmarketOS), the latter usually being some sort of Chromebook (please don’t use ChromeOS)

And of course, the laptop. If it’s an M1/2/3 Mac, Asahi Linux could be an option, then you don’t need to buy any hardware! Old Thinkpads are awesome on budget, and you have a variety of Linux oriented laptops (System76, Tuxedo, etc.), and most Windows laptops will run Linux just fine as long as you’re not running an old kernel (e.g. Debian) on very new hardware.

As for desktops, you have endless amounts of Windows mini PCs and old workstations to choose from, buy used because memory prices are insane. Go for the ones available on the nearest used marketplace for cheap! It’s amazing how compatible Linux is with older devices, even more so than Windows.

If you need good alternatives to proprietary software, you have LibreOffice, Pinta (or GIMP if you are fancy), Inkscape, Kdenlive, Audacity/Tenacity, an endless number of code editors, etc. If you want to game, Linux is a lot better than Mac in this respect nowadays with Proton and such, Steam, Lutris (all-in-one, super customisable), Heroic (for GOG), and Minigalaxy (also for GOG) are awesome

Pixel, Sony, OnePlus (mentioned already in the post) and Fairphone are the main ones. You also have several of the older Motorola devices, as well as a couple from other brands (like Nothing), usually older devices (newer devices are not supported nearly as well)

Many of the Sony Xperia devices are supported by LineageOS (not often you see that outside of Pixel and Fairphone), you have the beloved audio jack, front speakers w/ no notch, microSD expansion, and they’re just very cool devices :D

Personally, LLMs are too often wrong and overly confident to be useful for me. Plus, unless you’re running a local model, yet another subscription is not fun, especially by the likes of OpenAI and Anthropic. And you have all the ethical issues with LLMs that I’m sure you’ve heard about already.

It would be much better if you used the vast swath of online resources we are very lucky to have nowadays, don’t take it for granted as the internet becomes increasingly saturated with low-effort LLM generated garbage.

Again, the only scenario where LLMs are potentially useful is translation in my opinion, and even then, you have to mindful it is often pretty wrong.

If you want to try game development, game jams are always a fun experience! Godot is an excellent for this and is what I use (GDScript is very nice, less resource heavy compared to the proprietary options too). As for guides, GDQuest and HeartBeast are awesome!

There are a bazillion different online resources to learn programming, whether you want to make websites, mobile apps, whatever. As long is it’s not an obvious cashgrab (a small fee to support them is fine!)

Personally, I learnt Python by reading a book. Dunno which one, but it was a very good book!

And don’t be afraid to search for the answer (p.s. Google is not your friend, but Ecosia and Qwant are!), I still sometimes forget how to make a for loop in Python. Try to avoid using LLMs if you can, they often promote not so good programming practices or are simply flat out wrong (and confidently so!). The only instance where it could be useful is explaining concepts to you in your native language if you are not a first language speaker of English (not vibe coding, mind you, that helps nobody!), but again, you have to be mindful that it often gets stuff super wrong!

The Pixel 11 has introduced: nothing useful! In fact, it has actually regressed with the reduced amount of RAM. The only marketed feature is the silly Gemini light on the back of the Pro models, that can only be used for five contacts (and only calls! Not notifications!) or as an indicator when Gemini is thinking. Skip the Pixel 11, plus GrapheneOS is not supported yet. 25W wireless charging isn’t supported by most chargers and most people charge wired anyways (faster, more efficient, and not really less convenient)

Personally, I would get the Pixel 9 over both the 10 and 11, the main upside is the magnets (which can bd solved with a case) and a zoom camera (in which case the 9 Pro is pretty good and also the same size). Realistically, I would probably get a 9a over any of them, because you really don’t lose anything going with it besides camera quality (plastic will not crack easily like glass and will get covered by a case anyways)

If you already have the 9 or 10, don’t upgrade! It’s very silly and you get basically nothing extra. The only thing is maybe the zoom camera, if you have a base 9, in which case the 9 Pro (or even 10 Pro) is cheaper + supports GrapheneOS

And of course, you have non-Pixel devices as well. Fairphone has been awesome in European markers, and their recent Fairphone 6+ has also released in the U.S., which is pretty cool! They make very nice devices that are pretty competitive for what you’re paying honestly, and they support right to repair and fair working conditions! You don’t get GrapheneOS, but LineageOS, e/OS, CalyxOS, iodeOS, and even many flavours of mobile Linux support Fairphones! It’s really cool stuff, and Nura (formerly postmarkerOS) is being worked on for the latest Fairphone 6!

You’ve also got the cheaper Jolla Phone that runs SailfishOS, and that might be fun to play around with

Ohh ok so it’s like Overcooked but without the time stress + stronger emphasis on planning/coordination? Interesting, maybe I could do that

Neither Voyager probe passed Pluto, you might be thinking of New Horizons? I think Voyager 1 had the decision to either do a flyby of Titan or Pluto, and they ended up picking Titan because Titan is awesome (the only moon with a thick atmosphere, methane oceans, lots of cool stuff there!)

That could be very fun!! Nice aliens are the best kind

So a bit like Overcooked or something? Maybe, but I would like to make something that’s a bit less intense (perhaps as an alternate game mode or something?)

Ooh, that could be fun!

I would guess it depends on the environment. Energy needs to he expended to develop and secrete toxins, it’s not a free perk.

Plus, you have all the fungi (+ other critters) who cheat and simply look like a poisonous guy to avoid getting eaten. I know there’s lots of snakes and such that do that, there are probably plenty of copycat shrooms.

Did not do biology so don’t know any of the specifics!

If you are referring to only one of the two, it is “their name is Trevor”. If you are introducing both of them at once (possible, but less likely), you would say “(both of) their names are Trevor”. Sometimes people also pluralise the name, e.g. “I’m friends with five Alices” or “I know two Bobs at work”

Cinny is an awesome desktop client, as is Element, Fractal (GNOME, no spaces support though) and NeoChat (KDE)

For mobile, I personally prefer FluffyChat, but there’s other options too.

For one to one chats and the occasional group chat? XMPP is pretty awesome and has lots of good clients (Conversations on Android, Monal on iDevices, Dino, Gajim, etc. on Linux)

If you want something closer to Discord and host public communities or very large chatrooms, Matrix is very good. You can self-host it with Continuwuity, and there are lots of clients too (Cinny, FluffyChat, Element, Fractal, NeoChat, etc.)

If you just need voice chat, Mumble is simple and works well.

It wouldn’t be worthless, if people only reversed engineered existing software then the quality would slowly degrade, like a JPEG that’s been shared too many times. You still need competant developers to write new software!

Oop ok!

Blender is already open-source, no?

ABS/ASA should work with the Elegoo CC, it has an enclosure + bed temperatures should reach high enough for good prints from what I can tell online. As the other person said, start off with PLA prints since those are the easiest. Some people like PETG too (higher temp resistance, but moisture is a bigger problem. I’m from Hong Kong 🇭🇰 so humidity is a big problem for me)