Meh, while I totally get what you’re saying I think there’s something to be said about these stepping stones between dying closed source platforms and developing FOSS platforms. Especially since most content people are used to and want to engage with is on said platforms. Not everyone wants to jump onto new platforms with learning curves, but this is an in-between for the people gaining awareness.
That, and having a fundamental disagreement with the way a platform is run or what telemetry they harvest doesn’t mean I don’t like the content there. Social media has been a constant battle between the owners, the content creators, and the regular users. At the end of the day people use it for community and connection, even if venture capitalists are hell bent on destroying their product.
I used Nova for years, but it felt increasingly outdated so I switched to Action Launcher. Then it too started to feel outdated after a few years so I switched to Smart Launcher, which I’ve been loving. I miss AL’s side drawer but SL has a lot to offer if you want something slick and simple, with custom widgets and layouts. I recommend you check it out!