NixOS learning curve maybe is not so hard. You can start with default configurations and installed Calamares what is as simple as on other distros. Than look for options and try.
Otherwise, Flatpaks are reproducible (build with flatpak-builder as on Flathub).
I'm sick of all the attempts to whitewash the recent Red Hat move. This makes things only worse. Fedora will not be affected, Alma has a bright future, CentOS is open to all, "rebuilders", clones...
Major: Debian, Gentoo, NixOS, Arch and also FreeBSD (not GNU/Linux but still).
Other and esoteric: Void, Alpine, Solus, CRUX, Slackware, Mageia/OpenMandriva,
Corporate sponsored: Fedora, openSUSE
Sun is now Oracle anyway.
Maybe it's just a general habit of mine that I keep minimum things open at time and close everything after use: desktop windows, android apps, browser tabs. So I use up to 3-5 dynamic workspaces most of the time.
I switch between apps from overview or by typing in search, or by sliding between workspaces. It is more convenient to me than classic desktops with a taskbar and minimized windows.
Always has been.
But to be fair, openSUSE was my first linux distro after Windows and YaST had been helpful to me before I learned how to use console commands. And then I switched to another distro.
I use flatpaks mostly. Flatpak dependencies (runtimes) are stored separately from the host system so and don't bloat my system with unwanted libraries and binaries. App data and configs are stored separately and better organized. Everything runs in sanboxes. I use overrides extensively. All these are very convenient for me.
And ChromeOS is even more popular.
What you see when you upload files is not a FM but an open file dialog. Yeah, it sucks. Maybe it's worth to play with xdg-desktop-portal and alternative fronteds: e.g. xdg-desktop-portal-kde. But I don't know if it's better.
Shattered Pixel Dungeon
There is no god on Wayland.