I've been a user of crypto for actual transactions for a long time, but mostly avoided BTC because of fees and speed issues. I'm interested in using LN, but it seems all the frequently recommended wallets are designed for smartphones. I don't own a smartphone.
I just want to send and receive money as simply as I can with mainnet BTC. I somewhat understand the invoice system, that isn't a problem.
When using electrum, the wallet I use for most of my BTC transactions, a fee of 0.002BTC is requested to open a lightning channel, and it is my understanding that this would only let me send, not receive BTC.
So what're my options for a desktop-native wallet that'd allow me to both send and receive BTC via LN without an upfront investment of 0.002BTC, without being centralized? I'm sure I could do this via an exchange but I'm not interested in that, I want a non-custodial option.
That looks like a minimum channel size, not a fee. Blocks are empty so opening a channel should be very cheap RN.
Electrum is a good option but you will need to keep it online for receiving. Could also check out Phoenixd if you don't mind command line and some higher than average spending fees.
Electrum wallet - simple fast secure for desktop
And read more here
https://darth-coin.github.io/wallets/lightning-wallets-comparison-en.html
Aka shitcoiner... Please stop shitcoining