All very good questions, but we should take them to the following thread. Several of the questions are already under discussion there.
Announcement | SmartThings Edge for Devices and Automations
Or, since I think your list is a particularly good list from a non-coder point of view, you could create a new topic called “Consumer Questions about Edge” and put it in the following section of the forum:
Connected Things - SmartThings Community
It’s up to you. 