It's great that it works for you! For me every recommendation of networkchuck that starts with 'and its free! You just have to sign up for...' is a pointer to search for 'open source alternative for...'.
That is how I found out about a Raspberry Pi with pihole and piVPN installed on the same device, using this manual. Pihole blocks ads, with piVPN you can log into your home network using the wireguard protocol.
I thought it was easy to set up, but of course it depends heavily on the time you can and want to invest. So Twingate can be the right solution for you, but I am often impressed by the excelent free software solutions that are out there.
I just started to build something here! My setup so far:
Raspberry Pi 4 running Home Assistant OS.
On the GPIO-Pins I have a Module sitting that goes with the name RPI-RF-MOD. Now the Home Assistant-Pi works as a CCU3 base station for all my homematic IP gadgets.
On Home assistant I use the add on Raspberrymatic to connect to different Gadgets (Power Plugs, Thermostats, Window-Sensors) which then again are introduced to home assistant with the help of HACS Homematic(IP) Local.
It was a lot of reading for a beginner like me. But with small steps and a lot of time everything is actually quite comfortable to reach. And most important: the devices can't phone home, nothing is able to connect to the internet directly.
When I started with Debian I found everything I wanted to know with Duckduckgo... "Linux Debian how to..." without exception. And sometimes even the Archwiki helped me. You don't need a single place with all the knowledge, you just have to practice how to break down your questions into easy to answer bits. Doesn't matter which distro you use.
Wanted to write the same. Normaly I would suggest Mint, but OP sounds like they are ready to learn and endure some things to end up very happy with Debian, the mother of all distros.
This 'somebody' has to be a great team of software developers to keep VSCodium alive, if Microsoft abandons the project. I wouldn't bet on it. Would you financially support those developers?
You put your ability to work efficiently into the hands of Microsoft. If they stop development or go into a direction like google did with ad-handling in their browser, or unity with their payment-methods, or does whatever a greedy company does, your tool is broken.
The time and effort you put into a piece of software is valuable. And deciding to put it into a Microsoft-product instead of a true free piece of software weakens the competition. Monopolies in the making shouldn't be supported.
All the add-ons that are made for this Microsoft-product are wasted time, as soon as Microsoft fucks up - and they will. This time could have been spent in better ways.
And my last point why using VScode/ium is a problem is that it is advertisement for Microsoft. It could be a gateway to look into other Microsoft products for young developers. If you recommend them a FOSS tool instead, you might win some for the idea of a more FOSS world.
That's a bit black and white of you, isn't it? I don't like this approach ("can't afford to be any less productive").
I am a freelancer and I certainly can afford to be a bit less productive and earn a little less money by supporting and using free software only. And making you belive that you have to use the most efficient tool - no matter what - is exactly part of what keeps bad acting companies successful.
It's great that it works for you! For me every recommendation of networkchuck that starts with 'and its free! You just have to sign up for...' is a pointer to search for 'open source alternative for...'.
That is how I found out about a Raspberry Pi with pihole and piVPN installed on the same device, using this manual. Pihole blocks ads, with piVPN you can log into your home network using the wireguard protocol.
I thought it was easy to set up, but of course it depends heavily on the time you can and want to invest. So Twingate can be the right solution for you, but I am often impressed by the excelent free software solutions that are out there.