When you install any new distro, most of the time it does not come with the video and audio codecs to play videos online and offline.
The best way in my opinion to use codecs without spending hours installing is:
Install needed apps as flatpak.
The most common apps that need codecs is browsers and video players like vlc and mpv.
Just install them(Make sure you enable flathub repo) as flatpak (installed by default in most distros) and you will not need to spend time installing codecs from untrusted third party repos ever again.
I am not calling for anything.
I am just posting a tip for linux users.
I hope it will make the people who want to use linux daily, do not think of the codecs as reason to not switch.
I see your perspective, but not the usefulness of your approach.
I prefer telling them how it works and that is a way to make actual documentation accessible. I also adapt my explanations to each person and situation.
It is preferable to have people who know how to use an OS and not being hanging around without knowing what to do because they expect even the most simple things done.
That said, codecs work great with Debian stock, so I am unsure about the issues you mention.