> Here's a more remedial question. I haven't bought a desktop in 16 years. To
> have a custom desktop built with some of the options I've seen recommended
> here, where would you go? Would you patronize a local shop, or is there an
> online store that is good at discussing and implementing customizations? I
> am not an expert when it comes to hardware.
The options recommended here basically boil down to either a PCIe card
(which you can likely fit into any desktop save for the tiny ones (like
my Librem mini)), or USB<->foo adapters which should work with any
desktop/laptop (in the worst case it may require extra USB-C <-> USB-A
adapters or a USB hub).
IOW, I don't see anything requiring a "custom desktop".
This said, I personally would not buy a whole pre-made machine since
these will typically come with the dreaded Windows thingy on it.
I'm personally in favor of supporting your local shop (I'm always very
happy that those still exist when I need an emergency replacement of
something, but if I only buy from them in case of emergencies, they
won't survive). But in my experience those can't afford to provide good
support for oddballs who run GNU/Linux and count their hardware's
lifetime in decades: it takes extra time and provides unusually
low profits :-(
I usually first check online to get an idea of "what's out there", then
go to the local store to see what they have to offer, then go back
online to better evaluate what it is they have offered me (e.g. check
for availability of drivers in the kernel), then go back again to the
store to buy the parts. For parts that I replace every 10 years or
more, it's worth the trouble.
Stefan
