KDE connect can be good too but I like localsend for sharing files with any and all devices like when I’m moving phones and need to send a file to the new one or between my PCs. You’re not wrong though, KDE connect works well for fileshare too.

Localsend is rad, super useful: https://localsend.org/

Send any file across different devices over the network. FOSS and fast. Highly recommend.

Same here man. Was using an s20 for a long time and was generally happy with it but after moving to an s22 due to charging issues, I wasn’t happy with the way that Samsung changed things. I don’t like how they often try to force a Samsung account.

And I REALLY don’t like this. I should never have to look at baked in ads in my OS that I paid for. I don’t care if its just on the lockscreen because you know that’s only the beginning.

“Watch this 30 second ad to change your wallpaper”

No thanks dude.

Gross.

I’m currently in the process of moving everything over to a pixel running GrapheneOS and am glad to be doing so because of shit exactly like this.

I just want technology that does what I want it to and doesn’t spy on me. Shouldn’t be this hard especially if I pay for the product.

Anything to help a fellow Linux user my dude. I’m not as skilled as some of the other folks on here but I try when I can.

I think I saw someone mention hyperland which may be up your alley but you also mentioned you’d like to stay away from Arch so not sure if that’d work in this case.

KDE has changed quite a bit, you might like it better now. I think the recent changes have been good but I guess I dont change it as much as you might want.

TL:DR, Kubuntu or Fedora with KDE

Everyone will have their own opinions on this. Just speaking for overall desktop environments, KDE is my top pick. Pretty easy to pick up and change. Works well, feels like Windows but actually good and very customizable. And extensible.

As for the distro behind it, pick your poison. I think either Fedora or Ubuntu. KDE spin would be Kubuntu which is what I currently use. Both are pretty popular and supported well.

Some people dont really care for Ubuntu but coming from Fedora with KDE, its been a much smoother experience personally. Yes, I’m not a fan of snaps, but they can be turned off. In all, I’m using Linux, I’m much better off on Ubuntu than Windows privacy and security wise which are the main things I care about aside from being able to change whatever I god damn please.

I struggle less with shit not working on kubuntu. Fedora for the most part was very solid but there were more than a few times Steam for whatever reason gave me issues on Fedora. I’d consider steam a pretty easy thing to install and use but I had lots of issues with it just not starting or crashing, hanging when downloading updates. Really annoying.

Could be im just better at using linux now than I was back then as Fedora with KDE was my first real jump to Linux from Windows.