I don't know why I love it so much, but I do.

https://startrek.website/post/1328367

I don't know why I love it so much, but I do. - Star Trek: Website

Also, are malware-free cursor applications still a thing? Or does it make me an old man to want to do it in 2023?

Switch to Linux and you can change your mouse cursor to always be a gauntlet.
I might not switch on my current daily driver, but I’m seriously thinking of converting an extra PC I have lying around and seeing what all the fuss (foss) is about.
I’ve installed Lubuntu on my ancient laptop and it’s amazing how much faster and more stable it is! It’s almost like a new machine that is also crap for gaming 😄
Gaming is 90% of what I use my PC for, which is what has been holding me back this long.

Same tbh. The laptop I mostly use for browsing and streaming while out and about, but my main is a gaming computer meant for gaming games lol, which is why I’m still running Windows on that one.

The veterans keep telling me that it’s easy to get Windows games to work in Linux, but unless the problem is either Lubuntu specifically or I’m genetically more of an idiot about getting games to work on it thananythingelse, including getting everything elsetowork, “easy” is not the word I’d use…

What game are you trying to play and are you using Valves Proton?