Level1techs tends to go more into the enterprise server side but Wendell always has some gadget to show off.
I'd also advise to keep an out on the maker space, like raspberryPi or other SBCs, there are inexpensive machines and plenty of guides for various applications which don't require much Linux knowledge if you're already doing server stuff.
Debian runs on most cloud servers, it's pretty secure. The outdated packages refer mostly to apps, which is the reason why Debian is so stable. No frills and boring. Documentation is plenty on the internet and for server space it's probably the most compatible OS.
I'm running Debian 11, kernel 6.10 on Odroid. Arch on my desktop.
I also pay for it and watch it on my android TV. And I completely agree with you. But for now it's my main source of TV and I mainly follow channels I subscribe. I don't listen to music on YT, i do follow some live music channels
Thank you for the write up. It's very helpful.
I'd pick another CPU (even Intel) but I understand that you're bound to the motherboard.
I'm looking for a SFF build, what's your PC-case?
I also couldn't get sddm to work from the KDE settings. I changed the sddm.conf file manually and I'm using the catpuccin theme. The Arch wiki helped (as usual).
I would stick with SMB and SSH(SFTP). SMB for content sharing and accessible on any device like PCs or phones. SSH, which includes SFTP, for accessing everything else on the server.
Fedora atomic (I'm using bazzite for gaming only) have Flatpaks enabled by default and are recommended, so it integrates well with the OS.
And seeing where the Linux community is going right now, Flatpak has been widely adopted by most distros which are not Debian based. There are ways to go regarding the packaging for the developers, but there are plenty of apps already on flathub. I'm using it on arch and bazzite and have no problems so far.
I can't comment on the apps the OP requires
Security starts first with you. Most of the attacks are done though social engineering. Email phishing, dodgy webpage logins.
Normal password security behaviour should fine for you to use the pc.
More importantly, what is the distro you're using?
Maybe consider using Flatpaks for the apps, they tend to offer more restrictions on access to the system. (Installing the torrent app as a Flatpak and only give it permissions to a specific folder)
One of things I tend to do is install chromium just to login on my Google apps, Gmail, YT. But I'm more of a non data sharing freak.
I work on IT support and all of our clients use enterprise. It's not just the Ads.
Microsoft has slowly been dumbing down it's apps and the OS. Removing features that where good for office users.
Access to settings is a joke. It's a bad OS. I fell like they've gone backwards, again.
My pet peeve right now is why can't the taskbar be placed on the sides? It had that functionality before.
Hardware issues have been fading more and more. Just recently saw a small survey in a Linux channel with about 1000 responses. And about 50% retired no issues with hardware plus a lot more that only had 1 issue (there are still some vendors who don't offer compatibility like AMD or Intel).
So most people don't actually need to download drivers, it's all in the kernel.
I have similar thoughts. I use bandcamp for smaller artists but I would recommend nicotine+ on Linux