Chessbase and the Stockfish developers came to an agreement after that public court hearing.[1] I don't think it changes the landscape at all and it doesn't help MacOS or Linux users, so I agree with all you said.
X is to Chessbase for data as Lichess is to Chess.com for play. Solve for X.
I'll open my wallet for a community/open equivalent. But €500 and Chessbase's mildly bewildering selection and tiers of subscription services are too rich for this amateur hack.[2]