ManyRoads
opa, professional genealogist, power walker, avid reader, technologist, historian, civil libertarian, constitutionalist, NAFO member
MXLinux is quite simply an excellent, well built distro. Not that there aren’t others, there are. I don’t use MX these days because I prefer to use Debian Sid. MX by design does not encourage that. MX Linux serves those folks who seek to use many, diverse, reliable options.
As for Distrowatch numbers and their reliability (or meaning) you should be cautious. Here’s a pretty good discussion of what their numbers may or may not mean. In the end there are simply a lot of good reliable distros. Use the one(s) you like best. https://thepcspy.com/read/do-distrowatchs-statistics-equate-popularity/
FWIW you can ‘recreate’ the environment you enjoyed on today’s distros. Here is one good solid option: https://github.com/NsCDE/NsCDE
Here’s something even more current from ‘rasat’… who is a huge proponent of the CDE on FVWM environment: https://fvwmforums.org/t/picom-compositor-for-xorg/4250
FWIW, I wrote the following about 3 years ago. You might find it helpful.
It is just best of you plan to learn as you go. There is no single set of commands that will assuredly help you beyond basic Linux 101 commands. Try DDG for indicators (or your search engine of choice)
https://www.google.com/search?q=linux ricing guides
(N.B.: Stay away from Reddit these days… too much is in turmoil there, so say I).
Truth be told, the “good-est” one will be the one you like best…
If you want others’ random opinions try review sites like those provided below:
dotfiles… are there any available?
If you look through this thread, you may notice that almost everything is biased towards personal preference(s). I recommend you research for those aspects of security AND privacy that interest you and select the tools, distros that you prefer. The beauty of Linux lies in its variety. Use what pleases you and serves your needs.
As a potential subscriber who has submitted several requests to subscribe AND seems not ever ‘receive’ approval… I’d say ‘things’ are not operating smoothly, yet.
