I'm also going to add that any online service you sign up for, always check through their privacy settings and make sure the options to not gather data are enabled. Another one is to check through settings for your ISP and cellular plans. Some collect various data to "enhance" services. Lastly I'll mention that on mobile devices switch to a privacy oriented browser like the recommendations below, and use Progressive Web Apps instead of native apps. These will include the browser's privacy protections by default.
Notamoosen
joined 1 year ago
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.
For comparison purposes nextcloud.com offers a solution as well.
It depends on what you are trying to learn. If it's just using it as a desktop then it's more a matter of just using it for a while to change your muscle memory from Win or Mac.
If you're looking for more of a command line/server experience, most distros have excellent documentation. This may be a minority opinion, but I personally like Oracle Linux (a Red Hat clone) and their documentation; https://docs.oracle.com/en/operating-systems/oracle-linux/index.html
I also like FreeBSD which isn't technically Linux but very similar in a lot of regards. They also have excellent documentation; https://docs.freebsd.org/en/
Ultimately, which distro you wind up liking is entirely subjective and one of the great aspects of the open source world. Oracle in particular you may see a lot of hate towards, but I've always had good success with their products and support. Best of luck!
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.