As for the firewall GUI, in CentOS it would be system-config-firewall

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Fedora doesnt ship with any non-free software or codecs. IF you want them, you will have to add them after installation. This site will walk you through how to do it using GNOME's software installer, along with installing flash player and Steam if you need it via the RPMFusion free and non-free repositories.

The GNOME software app can be installed by running

You will want to install and enable RPMFusion free and non-free repositories before doing any of this though, I think.

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Okay, so some updates on the situation. I had trouble doing a GPT install from the CentOS live iso, so I'm probably crossing that off my list (but it had a cooler, more extensive looking gui for the firewall, compared to gufw and maybe even Win7 firewall). I think it also uses the ESR version of Firefox, so yeah.

Speaking of Firefox, I noticed from the Help>About window that Manjaro uses "Firefox for Manjaro" or something like that. While I haven't encountered anything out of the ordinary in practice, it does leave me with an iffy feeling that maybe its privacy might have been tampered. The same is true with Mint, except it was slightly worse in the sense that I had to use Mint's website to add Google to the search engines (I realize it's also weird saying there's less privacy by not having Google).

That leaves me with PCLOS. The iso I used to feel around it was dated 2017, so if the newer release fixes the shutdown issue, I might just go with it. If not, maybe I'll try Fedora.

Anyway, before I mark the thread as solved, I'd like to take this time to re-ask some questions that I feel could use some more clarification.

• For non-rolling distros, does upgrading version X to X+1 mean full reinstall every time? Or are there cases where the upgrade can automatically transfer the current settings (where applicable) to the new version as long as I don't skip too many versions in between? Does this also mean I should expect some apps to break if they don't have an available update to match the new version?
  
• Speaking of versions, are there ways of rolling back to previous versions of an app in Synaptic or other package management guis?
  
• Regarding audio not working on some sites despite working on others: Is that a driver thing or a codec thing or maybe something else? It's not true for all distros that I've tried, but I want to know just in case I run into the same problem.

Speaking for Mint and Ubuntu, in-situ upgrades are available. For example, those running Mint 18.3 will be able to upgrade to Mint 19 with no need for a reinstall.

In saying that, I personally upgrade in-situ for point releases, e.g. Mint 18.2 to 18.3, but do a fresh install for major upgrades, e.g. to Mint 19, since that allows me to clean up my system, organise and document things etc. A bit of a fresh start and spring clean every two years.

Usually packages in the distro's repos themselves weather upgrades well. However PPAs and other third-party repos often need adjusting as their declarations in your software sources are usually distro version specific. Manually installed Debs etc. may also be version-specific and thus need updating.

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What hydrurga said is applicable for RPM based distros too. However, it's always a good plan to have a back-up before you attempt *any* kernel update. (A stitch in time, saves nine )

This is a gray area. Generally, using a previous version of a software is discouraged as the newer versions include bug-fixes, security updates, new features etc. Also, there are dependencies involved, so, while it's possible to downgrade a package in some cases, it might *break* something elsewhere. However, as veteran's will no doubt tell you, it's possible run an older version if you know what needs to be done. It's probably best to take this on a per-case basis.

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IMHO you need to install a stable *pick a distro* then learn the system, once you wrap your head around Linux then worry further about your question i.e. cross bridges when you come to them.

The latest version of MATE is completely GTK3.

Also, if you have questions on WINE, you might try the "professional" version,; Crossover, which is included free on a distro out two (Deepin I know of).

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