CFW vs. Gateway?

I feel like this should already exist as a debate somewhere but I couldn't find everything through searches. Sorry in advance if this has been beaten to death.

I bought a gateway like a year ago and have been using it with my N3DS since the N3DS' release.
Back then, CFW was just a sparkle in someone's eye. nothing really going on. Just clean CFW that couldn't do any homebrew.

Now, the CFW world seems to be much stronger.

So I have some quick questions.

#1 After a CFW is installed, is it as "turn key" as a gateway setup?
Like, install Cia's via bigbluemenu? etc.

No tinkering or anything like that? Patching the cia's?
I like how gateway is just "install" and done. Very simple.

Trying to decide if I should transition away from my gateway so I don't need to lug this silly gateway cart around with me. (which I pretty much only use to load emunand so I can do CIA stuff... I don't do cart game loading.)

#2 Can I get my N3DS to spoof to "Nand 10.3" or "Emunand 10.3"so I can do Eshop and/or at least get the update nag to go away?

I think those are my two key gripes with the N3DS with gateway. (not O3DS)

 

Good afternoon,
Thanks for the quick response.
I'm aware of the rom support I'd lose. But I don't use Rom's. I only use CIA's.
So I suppose my questions where more from a cia perspective. I'll rephrase them a bit.

#1 can the latest CFW's just install CIA's as easily as I can with a gateway?
(Maybe to an emunand installed over the CFW...
if I need an emunand...
I'd rather not have an emunand...
Can I install a CFW that does everything?
Or do I need to have an emunand?)

#2 Does the CFW pretend to be 10.3 so that it doesn't update nag? I know I can block the DNS addresses for the update servers and stuff... and I've done that... but I'd rather just have a machine that just works without being paranoid I'll accidentally press update.

 

So I can install rxtools CFW and that will boot my emunand without needing the gateway card?

And then I'm in a emunand that works exactly how my current emunand works? with cia installs and stuff?
But it's still stuck at 9.5 or older...

That pretty much sum it up?

the last CIA I downloaded had a text file that said something about not being patched for CFW. Not sure what that meant. Do I need to patch CIA's for them to work with a CFW Emunand? Do I have to do something more than what I currently do with my gateway?

 

And you'd also recommend RXtools on my N3DS over Pasta?
I saw mention RXtools is no longer supported? And that all source information was given to Pasta? Does that mean the latest Pasta is better than the now dated RXtools?

 

Yea I figured it would be something often posted but it's not a sticky for some reason.
A clear comparison of CFW vs. GW vs. Sky3DS features sticky would make sense to me.

Would have thought there'd be a sticky of this sort of info so that it isn't posted daily by people who don't frequent the forums often.
*shrugs*

Regardless, thank you for your help.

 

Got the RXtools and everything installed. Looks like it behaves just like my GW (minus roms)
I don't like doing this whole "hold L" thing.
The links to the autolaunch files seem to be dead. Anyone have a new link for that file?