Ours also had Fox Pro, and we did all of them (one per year). They also had optional Novel, Linux, UNIX and Mac courses (with certifications). Late 90s - early 2000 were a hoot.
In order to be able to take a project close-source the lead would have to employ methods that are a giveaway; use a revokable license, use a dual license, require contributors to cede copyright, ask contributors to agree to a license change etc. The signs are usually there.
Debian has a humongous package library, the biggest of any distro if I'm not mistaken. They need full drop-in compatibility between libressl and openssl if they hope to replace the latter any time soon for all those packages.
The (current) compatibility is closer to drop-in than not. Most of these packages have maintainers and an upstream. It is just a matter of getting it done.
There exist distros using libressl and musl, proving feasibility.
You can't do what OP is looking for without a custom PCB. The switches and caps and mappings might be customizable but their physical position and size on the board isn't.
Despite pushing the envelope in many ways, custom keyboards can also be strangely traditionalist at the same time. Making a PCB is a risky venture and most manufacturers don't want to risk it.
A huge amount of models still use a huge 7u or larger space bar for example when something as small as 4u would suffice, and leave room for much more ergonomic placement of modifiers. (or other improvements like extra keys, keyed gaps etc.)
Yes, most keyboards still have the traditional layout. But I believe many options fit what OP needs. A split keyboard such as Ergodox EZ allows access to the maximum amount of keys possible without moving your hand. You can then customize the mapping to properly distribute commonly used keys.
Ergodox EZ is ortholinear. Ortholinears by their nature tend to not have spacing issues but they require (extensive) retraining.
There's a very good chance that the above poster was looking at staggered layouts if it's their first foray into custom keyboards, and not even considering orthos.
The fact they are planning to drop the cache feature makes you wonder if Search might be heading for the Google Graveyard eventually.
I know it seemed unthinkable for most of Google's history. For the longest time Search was Google. But now...
We must consider the fact that Google is essentially a user data broker. All their products are in various proportions collecting user data and/or serving ads.
If Search quality and features keep reducing then its usage and relevance will drop too, reducing its effectiveness at both data collecting and ad serving.
I don't think Google's DNA allows them to consider radical alternatives. They were born in an era when data automation was in its infancy and they rode it all the way to the top. They abhor the human touch, the manual intervention. Their services are set to function automatically, set and forget.
But AI is changing the automation landscape, it's bringing a transformative paradigm shift. It's irresistible bait for Google but it will ruin Search. They'll deal with it the only way they know how, drop it.
If it does, statistical predictors can't help you because they're not always correct or even meaningful (correlation does not imply causation).
If it doesn't then, by all means, enjoy your infinite monkeys