Notamoosen

I personally use Niagara after years of Nova. I like it’s clean presentation and the alphabet on the side to quickly jump to less frequently used apps. I will say though, if you’ve experimented with other launchers and still come back to Pixel, there’s nothing wrong with that. It sounds like it meets your needs.

I want to second this. Paid is only $2 a month or $20 a year. Excellent for blocking various trackers on all devices even those not on your home network.

I’d say if you plan on using it any public places, or if you don’t have full control over all the computers/technology in your home network, it’s a good idea to run one. It’s a nice last resort should someone on the same lan have a piece of malicious software.

I’m a fan of the “just dive in” approach. You may encounter issues, but researching the solutions is where you really begin to learn. I personally like Fedora, but any of the other distros mentioned are also great choices. The great thing, if you don’t like it there’s tons off other options to try.

I find roku to have the simplest interface for people to learn. Fill it with free channels like tubi and pluto. For your personal library I’d suggest jellyfin. Simple and free.

Also going to add that Proton makes my favorites VPN. They offer a completely free version with no data cap (but limited locations) if you wish to try it before buying the full product.