So, here's my dilema, and it's most definitetly a first world issue. I have what most would call too many laptops. I've been trying to decide what OS to run on them to keep them from all being the same (right now all Debian), but no ideas. I'm extremely picky, so a lot of OS's won't work for me. So then I tried to do Debian but instead of KDE use Lumina...not sure why Lumina is so popular, the pics look really nice, using it though, FUGLY window decorations, limited settings, just not a pleasant experience. I'm a big fan of KDE & Cinnamon (and I think LXQT has great potential) as my desktops. Pretty much everything else currently in existance (Mate, XFCE, Gnome, Budgie (bidgie?), Lumina, the various WM's) all leave me feeling empty when I use them, plus it's not like my hardware is older, the oldest laptop I have is generation old.

So, if you use some little known distro that's really awesome let me know. Fedora, Debian, and Arch are out (Fedora is on my main desktop, Arch is on my "cloudbook", Debian KDE is staying on my E7470 (lap 1)). Ubuntu & anything derived from it are out because I plain don't like Canonical. Anything compiled from source is out because that just takes too long. Slack is out because I just don't like doing manual dependency resolution, or cludging in some form of dependency resolution (don't worry slackers, I think your OS is great, I know how easily your feelings are hurt when people talk bad about it, I just personally have no desire to use it). Mageia would be out at least until the next build of 6, because the sta1 failed to even install on...one of my laptops...so I won't bother trying again until a new build. Yes, I'm really picky. I suppose I can stick with Debian on my other 3 laptops, just do Cinnamon on one or 2 of them, but I'd love to find some other distro that I've never heard of that is totally AMAZING.

Please, if you just want to comment that I'm being stupid, just don't post. I'm quite aware that I'm very picky, and that if having too many machines for the OS's I have found I like is very much a great problem to have. I'm mostly just hoping for someone that's using some distro that isn't well publicized, doubly if it's not even on distrowatch (which I've tested most of the distros there) so that I'd have something new and interesting to try.

Louisiana flood submerged all my computers. I managed to save this T410 only.

I can imagine. Obviously nowhere near that myself, but saw the devastation on the news. Sorry to hear.

Give Salix, or Slackel a go . My atom netbooks run OK with the fluxbox editions. Not so much dependency headaches running those Slackware spins for me.

I had tried Zenwalk and Vector years ago. My Linux skill set was not as good as presently. So my opinion on those would not be fair or balanced.

SolusOS maybe be another option. I tried it out when it was a older version based on Debian. I hear it is now
pretty much a custom one off deal now where self installing other distro packages are possible and a one off custom
system also.

@Emerson. Hang tough in La. I hope positive actions are taking place for you presently.

Salix! fully compatible with Slackware, but with twice as many ready-to-use programs, full dependency resolution on every package, and custom GUI configuration tools.
http://www.salixos.org/

Now that you mention it, I have heard a lot about Solus recently. Might have to check that out. I've tried salix before, was never impressed with gslapt or slapt-get. Never used slackel, might throw it on a VM to try out initially see if it's worth trying on "real iron".

Why don't you work your way through some of the distros on the distrowatch waiting list?

https://distrowatch.com/dwres.php?resource=links#new

1 members found this post helpful.

Because I never knew there was such a thing would be my first answer.

Thanks, that's something to look through!!!

Slackware Live Edition includes Lumina and LXQt.

I have to admit, after using Lumina on my Debian install, I have no desire to touch Lumina again until at LEAST a major version increase. Very unnattractive DE, I'd much rather use Cinnamon or LxQT, both VASTLY nicer looking. Honestly, the look of Lumina reminds me of early KDE1/Gnome1/early WM's with how angular and ugly it is.

bunsenlabs
this is one nice minimalistic distro. also helpful community, which is really important.

I've gotten through about 3/4 of it, and it's still just mostly Ubuntu-based distro's. There's a few interesting looking ones, but overly, I see why they're still on the waiting list.

That hurts to even read.
No disrespect to MLED.

but it is tempting.

In case you beat yourself up and need to crawl back into a familiar warm space.

I've actually tried q4os before. While easy to install, the whole "we're sticking with highly outdated qt3 because we don't have the manpower to port kde3 to qt5" makes it so I really can't convince myself to take it seriously.