I use lawnchair as a replacement of the launcher from /e/OS. It is fast and customisable and has a more android type look.
Fossify could be another option, maybe lighter than lawnchair.
The original one is smooth, but I do not like IOS launcher and icons type.
Their app store has a rating about privacy/tracker for each apps.
They implemented tor in the OS, and you can choose if you want to activate it and for which application.
They have a mock location feature.
I get monthly update, and it works smoothly.
You do not need to use murena account to use the OS
For the drawbacks :
They have an app store that can install both applications from the play store and from Fdroid, but it isn't very convenient as you can't add Fdroid repos, nor uninstall applications with it. (and I'm unable to use it to install applications from the play store for more than a month, I've installed the aurora store )
Most of their system applications are open sources applications available from Fdroid but with a different icon and name.
Their navigation application named "Maps" is a rebrand of magic earth.
It's all I have in mind at this moment.
When I'll change for a fairphone, before turning to /e/OS, I'll probably try iodé OS. It seems they have similar privacy /anti-ad features but the OS might be less bloated and the system app are not rebranded, they keep their original name and icons.
It's the combat part of the game that made it hard to me to play Skyrim. I use some mod and play a mage to avoid playing with weapons, because I find the combat system slow and boring.
I'm replaying Dark Messiah. The game aged, but its combat style is still as dynamic as I remembered. Back then, It's because I compared it to the Oblivion one that I didn't played Oblivion more than a couple of minutes.
Vanilla gnome isn't for me so I used to install some extensions when I used it.
After a few hopping, I stopped using Gnome, because I find that painful to :
install the extension app (the one that allow you to download and manage the extensions, and that is usually not the one installed, it might have changed, as I stopped using Gnome for a year or even more)
install the extensions I want
configure the extensions
On KDE, I just have to set it as I need it.
If you do not change distributions everyday, then it's not a big issue I guess.
But it might be troublesome for beginners trying distributions that have vanilla-close gnome to know that extensions exist. My needs are not complicated, so I only used extensions that allow me to have a dock on both of my screens, and to have the minimize button.
It will create a default profile in your home (games/heroic/Prefixes) where everything will be installed, and if you have steam installed, it will detect the proton version of steam, and use it.
If some dependencies of the game are not installed, you'll be able to run winetricks
and install it in the profile of the game or to use steam runtime.
Using Windows-only games on Linux is getting better at an impressive rate those last years. There is more and more games working out of the box with steam or heroic. But yeah, sometimes, you just have to give up (or use Windows ).
Linux has been the biggest rabbit hole I've been in. There are too many distribution for me to choose one without testing as much as I can. It made me change what I wanted/needed.
I went from "I don't want to use CLI at all" to "man, GUI is too slow for that".
I tried many Debian children and grand children distributions, Fedora based ones (Nobara, atomics bases,...), Opensuse, NixOS, Solus, arch based distributions...
Now, I'm on cachyOS, that seems to be the good balance I need (for now), between GUI/already configured and "I can do it the way I want".
One year after starting using Linux, I've switched from a 3060ti to a 6700xt, just because it made hopping easier.
If you exclude me not being able to settle down on a distro, Linux is a funny experience to me. My needs are not that big, as I just play some games, have a light need of an office suite. I can do anything I used to to in windows, but without Microsoft and his friends looking above my shoulder.
KDE : it's the only DE where I can have 2 identical panels (app pined+ full system tray) on each of my 2 screens without installing extensions.
KDE can do what I want without having to look for extensions. Breeze theme is good enough for me, I don't need to look for something else. So far it's the best out of the box experience I had.
I prefer Gnome look, but I distr'hop too often to have the courage to setup the desktop every time.
They advert for a support between 8 and 10 years (at least 5 major version of Android, and security patches after that).
I don't know their politic about the availability of the repair parts, but if it's for the same amount of time, I'll be happy.
I changed the battery and the usb port of my OP7 last year... the oneplus site didn't sell them anymore, I had to go on aliexpress to have both ... That's quite frustrating for a device that is 5 years old...
It has a confidentiality notation system based on exodus privacy. It makes it more visible than on the aurora store. It has the possibility to install app from fdroid, well, at least from the main repo as it is not possible to add more.
There is a high chance that they forked the aurora store, as, most (if not all) of their app are based on open source app. (but if so... why did they remove the option to uninstall app...).
Their app "maps" is just magic earth with an other name and icon.
I like /e/OS, but the app lounge bothers me a lot. There is no uninstall button and it is not possible to add Fdroid repos... So I have Fdroid installed in addition to it.
I do not see an added value as if I had the aurora store installed + Fdroid.
IMO, the best addition of e/OS compared to lineage is clearly the tracker /ad blocker app.
Which version and phone are you on ?
I'm on "t" version on a Oneplus 7 et I have none of these issues.
I first installed the "s" version and got annoying bugs, then switched to the "t" one and everything was OK.
I now all the version aren't available on every devices, I hope you can switch on a more stable one.
GNOME with dash to panel. It allow you to clone it I guess. dash to dock allow you to copy the dock, so only the applications, not the systray.
KDE allows you to create panels on every screen, with the systray. You'll have to replicate them manually (pin the applications or whatever you put on your first panel).
Others DE I tried had flaws for that :
Cinnamon cannot have all the systray on the second panel.
Budgie doesn't allow you to have a panel on the second screen (but you can clone the panel on the same screen).
If i remember well, Chimera OS is what steam took inspiration of for steam OS.
It is available for desktop. take a look on it :) .