Based on Debian, with just the right amount of user-friendly additions is MXLinux. Coming from Ubuntu, installing MX was particularly easy, the small community is very helpful and knowledgeable, and any quirks Debian might pose to a desktop user seem to have been ironed out.

The link to the github repository: https://github.com/MM2-0/Kvaesitso Kvaesitso has been my launcher for the last 6 months and I've been very happy with it. Quite a lot of customization options, but with really well thought-out limitations and restrictions. It is available via F-droid.

Joplin is one of the most important apps I use daily on my Android phone. The desktop version for Linux, an Appimage, synchronizes with the shared database used by the Android app. One can use common cloud services or pay a small fee (now about 18 euros/year) for a specific cloud synchronization service (1Gb).