Good points.
Couple of tips for working with 'pixels' in inkscape:
I usually zoom in quite deep and add a grid (Grids tab in Document Properties); the gridlines mark pixel borders.
You can quickly toggle snap-to-grid with % (shift-5).
The Icon Preview gives you a 1:1 for work<=64x64, or you can hit '1' to jump to 100% zoom.
O - "Round Corners": Inkscape has a lot of ways to achieve this, but they should be easier and more automatic, so I'll agree with you here.
X - There is a Calligraphic Pen tool in the main toolbox. The default behavior is path outline.
X - Path offsets are excellent and consistent using the Dynamic Offset tool
X - Auto-trace is in Path -> Trace Bitmap
X - Pixel Preview mode is in View -> Icon Preview
You aren't expected to be up-to-date on software you don't use, but please get the facts straight before posting
BLISS is ignorance.