I know this is a bit of a necro-bump, but Today I Found Out just released a video answering exactly this question: https://inv.nadeko.net/watch?v=ipDdWx67H9M

KDE, because I’m too lazy to switch back to XFCE, which offered every feature I already use in KDE except without the stuttering, the bugs, and the update cycle that breaks things way, way too often on a rolling release distro.

Or openbox. My old laptop has openbox, but that’s more for screwing around with EWW than doing day-to-day things.

Pretty much any distro can do everything you want. But since you liked crunchbang, consider Mabox. It’s an openbox distro based on Manjaro with a bunch of QoL improvements like super+arrow to tile a window, or their own little fork of jgmenu to expand the functionality of the tint2 panel, plus some custom ricing tools. I’m not saying it’s the best distro ever, but it might give you just the right nostalgic feels.

One good thing doesn’t even outweigh one bad one. What do you call someone who tells 99 truths and one lie?

A liar.

It’s the same here; there’s an asymmetry between doing what’s right and betraying someone’s trust. When Mozilla can demonstrate consistent integrity, maybe I’ll stop using a fork.

Technically, hippos don’t swim. They run along the ground. So if you pick a deep enough body of water, you might still have a chance.

I don’t hate flatpaks, but flatpaks require more disk space than the same apps from traditional repositories, and they only support a handful of the most common default themes. Since I only ever use older and slower computers, my disk space is limited, and I like to rice my desktop, I personally avoid them. But your use-case may differ.

You’re thinking in reverse. Walled gardens keep you in, not out. Without logging into your Steam account (pretending you don’t have one), try to download a mod for a game you bought on GOG and see how it goes for you.

This is silly. Valve is already a profit driven company. You don’t see the walled garden? The DRM? Valve supports proton because it’s in their monetary interest to do so.

It does not run well. You can’t see the performance difference between KDE and XFCE on neofetch, but you absolutely can on on old machine.

Source: I have an old computer.

Enable the chaotic AUR and you won’t even have to build from source.

Linux is modular, not fragmented.

Except Gnome. Fuck Gnome.

Thank you for providing an actual answer. Most of the comments in this thread are condescending as hell.

How important is the Windows-style desktop? If the VM is designed for one thing and one thing only, I’d pick any minimal WM that can alt-tab, say JWM, and then just add Firefox and Thunderbird to the autostart file.

Either scalloped with cheese, boiled in chicken broth until the broth boils off and the potatoes are basically already mashed for you, or my laptop.

Ultra-libertarian Jingoist? I’m as confused by that combination of words as I am the flags on the truck.

Give me an archive link and I’ll click it every time. Otherwise, almost never.

Wait, most people agree that Walter starts off as a decent man?

Mint, and anything else that requires PPAs. Last time I distrohopped, I had a rule that if I couldn’t install Librewolf in under a minute or two, it wasn’t worth the trouble.

Mind you, this was before flatpaks were big, but I also own a potato and don’t want to waste space on flatpaks.

By any chance was this in a VM?

In response to everyone’s sandals comments, you’re really missing out if you don’t go barefoot in the snow every now and then, so long as there’s only a light layer. Every step is cushioned and refreshing. It’s good endorphins all around, like taking a breath of fresh air after leaving a stuffy room. When the snow gets high enough that it kicks up onto the tops of your toes, that’s cold.