Good point. Startup effort is not the same as effort once you are comfortable with your system.
I had my turning point early on when I first learned to update all my packages from the terminal. For me, this changed the game compared to how Windows programs handled updates at the time and Linux became officially easier than Windows… for me.
I could see how this “point of equal ease”, could come later for some users, especially those who want to run Windows software or do something advanced.
Bonus points, once you feel comfortable with the software manager learn how to update Mint with the “apt” commands in the terminal. This will make you feel like an elite hacker while simultaneously teaching you a fast way to do a routine task, updating all your software. Make sure to reflect on how long this would have taken on Windows. :D
Nextcloud was somewhat difficult for me the first time I installed it, though I did have a usable system in the end. Then I discovered Nextcloud AIO and haven’t had an issue since.
I’m no expert. I want to include that disclaimer up front.
Nextcloud with block storage on btrfs with snapshots seems like it could work for you. No idea about VFS though. I’ll leave that question for someone more knowledgeable. The “drive” portion of Nextcloud is quite decent. I regularly use it to pass large files between my phone (Android), laptop (Linux) and gaming desktop (Windows).
I’m ashamed to admit I totally forgot about ddwrt/openwrt. It’s been a decade or so since I messed with that. Good call.