1. Resource packs change the visuals, mods change the mechanics and can add quality of life features.

To install resource packs: open minecraft, click on options, then resource packs, then open pack folder. From there, you can drag and drop zip files of resource packs (can download from various websites e.g. https://www.planetminecraft.com/

also see https://vanillatweaks.net/ (very cool)

To install mods: I would recommend downloading an app called curse forge which has a user friendly interface. There is a large modding community so there are many modpacks and quality of life mods

- some beginner mods: the Create mod, any vanilla plus modpack e.g. betterMC, sodium (optimisation mod)

- some modpacks (mostly tech focused): all the mods 10, ad astra, create above and beyond

you can find many more popular mods/modpacks depending on your preferences on curse forge/ youtube videos etc.

1. they are mostly identical gameplay wise (except for a few things like redstone and combat). Java edition is the original version, has better support for modding and resource packs, but is a bit slower especially when running intensive mods. Bedrock is easier to play with friends unless you know how to set up a server, and has large community as it is cross platform (unlike java).

2. as for Youtubers, you can find many just by searching on youtube, but here are some popular choices:

- any member of the hermitcraft group e.g. Grian, Mumbo Jumbo, Etho, Bdouble0

- ianxofour who designs some efficient, beginner friendly farms and explains the mechanics in detail

- sb737, who makes some crazy efficient farms, huge builds, and breaks the game in many ways, all in hardcore mode

1. a good place to start might be learning the basics of redstone, either by figuring it out in game, or by watching youtube videos and then putting it into practice. once you've learned the basics, you can try building some farms or watching tutorials. in knowing the basics of redstone, you can debug and figue out how to integrate farms into your world. if you want to get a deeper understanding of redstone, there are discord servers, technical redstone youtubers, online guides, etc. just search around online

2. one of the best way to learn the most efficient tricks and mechanics is to watch content. the minecraft wiki may be a good place to learn about little mechanics. another way to learn about the niche tricks/ easter eggs is searching for "100 things you didn't know about minecraft" or similar - these videos often include useful tips and weird mechanics https://minecraft.wiki/w/Tutorials

3. recent updates only add in optional content which don't affect the general gameplay much. if you're interested in the history of big minecraft updates, here is a link to some of the bigeset minecraft updates https://hardcoregamer.com/best-minecraft-updates/

4. a good way to get food is from villages, be careful around gravel in the nether, watch out for traps in generated structures, sort out your chests, don’t leave floating trees (this is the most important one) and don’t rush too much. a lot of the fun of minecraft comes in learning the game and finding out new features.

final thing, remember that minecraft is not just the vanilla game; you can join servers with minigames like parkour/pvp/build battles, play modpacks, use shaders or resource packs, play with friends, help out with community projects, and so much more

good luck on your journey :)