Piper For Linux

Switching from Windows to Linux can be a somewhat brutal experience for the uninitiated. Most Linux distributions have indeed come a long way when it comes to offering support for devices and peripherals.

Thanks to a little app called Piper, you can now still get the most out of your gaming mouse on Linux. Whether you want to configure you mouse for an extra boost of productivity or for gaming, Piper is here to allow just that.

Piper is a free and open-source graphical frontend to the ratbagd DBus daemon. Before anything else, it's important to note that not all gaming mice are supported. Nevertheless, ratbagd does offer a hefty list of supported devices which include various models from producers such as Roccat, Logitech, and SteelSeries.

Here's what Piper has to offer: the ability to change the DPI (resolution) and polling rate, the ability to map buttons, control LEDs and lighting patterns. One of the best features is the fact that Piper allows you to add multiple profiles, so you can instantly switch between gaming and work profiles.

Piper is a very nice app to work with. The GUI is not impressive, but it does offer all the necessary controls for you to throughly tweak your gaming mouse.

You can set various DPI levels (via an easy-to-use slider), and control the polling rate (sensitivity). Of course, the settings will differ a bit from mouse to mouse.

The Buttons section is definitely the mouse comprehensive one as it allows you to create useful macros. Thankfully, the app also offers you the option to tweak the RGB lighting, and we have to say, the feature works really well.

Regardless of the Linux distribution you're currently running, Piper requires the presence of ratbagd on your system. If you're using an Ubuntu-based distro, install ratbagd by running "sudo apt install ratbagd."

The app itself can be installed either via Flathub, or directly from the Terminal by running "sudo apt install piper."

Piper is a breath of fresh air for users who are either into gaming, or simply want more control over their mouse for work-related purposes.

It's a simple GUI tool that looks nice, and works even nicer. Granted, it won't work for every gaming mouse out there, but if your mouse is a Logitech, Etekcity, GSkill, Roccat, or Steelseries model, then you should definitely give it a try.