Have you tried COSMIC yet? Maybe PopOS is worth a shot.
Some packages are a bit old at the moment but they have a release coming in April / May that will bring them right up to date.
Perhaps LMDE (Linux Mint Debian Edition) is worth a look as well.
Both options are similar in that they take a very stable distro base and layer on a quite up-to-date desktop.
They also feature clear direction and a predicable release schedule.
Any Arch/Debian. If you're picking Distros based on which UI they package, you're doing your self dirty by ignoring options that might be more what you want. You can always swap out the UI. It's not a core part of most distros.
Linux Mint is not a "rando ubuntu fork". It's the most reliable OS for me, along Debian-Stable. It has prefs for almost everything, sane defaults, and a clear release and support schedule. And it uses Cinnamon. I've tried everything under the sun, I always come back to Mint. It works.
Reliable, clear release/support schedule: Debian Stable
Unlike Fedora Spins, most upstream distros don't come with a DE pre-packaged, you choose it during the install process (or install a custom one from other sources post-install).
DEs currently offered by the Debian Installer include: Xfce, LXDE, LXQt, MATE, Lomiri, and of course Plasma and GNOME.
Not in the installer, but in the repository: Cinnamon, Budgie, Enlightenment, FVWM-Crystal, GNUstep/Window Maker, Sugar, "and possibly others" (according to the wiki).
You can also do what I do on my less-powerful laptops and just install a window-manager and associated utilities—just make sure to uncheck all DE options during install (you will be forced to use the console until you have a display server and window manager, tho). Right now I'm rocking i3 on my laptops; I would use Sway, but for some reason it's more resource intensive.
Other offerings in the repository include: Openbox, Fluxbox, Compiz, Awesome, dwm, Notion, and Wmii
My personal recs are i3 (and recommended packages), Xfce, or MATE. I've used and liked all 3. I still use GNOME for my desktop, but those 3 are what I go with otherwise.
Even easier if you choose XFCE during install and then add i3. You get all the benefits of a package of desktop tools pre installed and the fantastic i3 window manager to get around.
Debian/lxqt.
Debian.
Debian.
With xfce, since op doesn't want plasma or gnome
Reliable OS: Debian is the standard, or try Fedora if you want to get the latest software features
Alternate DE’s: xubuntu is a classic and it’s fast. LXQT is also lightweight but not as modern feeling imo. Debian install disks should let you choose either of those DEs (or some others) when installing
sorry. mine is an ubuntu fork that comes with gnome and I installed kde plasma. its possibly your worst nightmare.
Mint MATE
I think Fedora is a reliable choice, and if you don't like gnome or plasma any distro will let you install anything else so it's doesn't really matter.
Yeah, but I've had enough cleanup jobs when daily driving Gentoo amd64 branch, I want something OOB
Fedora Spins could be considered out of the box. Plenty of options.
Start on any standard distro do a net install or equivalent and pick a different DE, I'd recommend Ubuntu/Fedora/Debian/Suse, but YMMV
Debian + XFCE
Debian + Budgie
Might take a look at NixOS. Releases every 6 months and you can pick your DE.
Are there any packages that can provide an out of box experience? Or can I use flakes for that?
I'm sure there are flakes that can do that, but I just use the config file, adding things as I find I need them. Flakes weren't really all that well documented when I first installed it so I never messed around with them. Out of box though, it was fairly decent for relatively simple needs. If I remember correctly, the graphical install could set you up with any of a half dozen different DEs out of the box.
One heads up. While NixOS is a Linux distribution, it is radically different design philosophy from every other Linux distribution I've ever used. In some ways better and far easier to setup and maintain, and sometimes, as headache inducing as Gentoo or Arch. Once you have it setup to your liking, though, it has proven incredibly solid and hard to break.
Here's a redacted copy of my configuration.nix file. I really need to clean it up, reorganize, and remove things I'm not using anymore, but it's what I'm running on my desktop. Basically hasn't changed since KDE6 came out something like a year ago. I think the last change I made after that was when I finally added flatpak support.
A fellow linux unplugged listener? Just guessing because I see TUI challenge in your config :)
There are thousands of packages. Download off the internet and boot it. Just like a normal distro mostly. Nix is the single largest package manager even far surpassing arch and others. If they could refine the process it could be the end all be all right new to Debian and mint.
I've used nix for roughly a year. Flakes is the way to go. It's the most simple cut and dry shit works distro aside from Linux mint but the caveat is you have to essentially learn how the nix config file works. You can install your configuration file on any machine, anytime, anywhere and it'll boot as your exact carbon copy. Its a great distro you can trust to maintain with two files entirely. Cake to remember and backup.
Downsides are keeping config file backed up often. And knowing that anything you want done has to go into config document. I can answer any questions. I'm busy so I can't type more.
Debian
I'm honestly about to give popOS a try next. NixOS is great for a niche declarative use case, Debian and Ubuntu are cool. But the opinionated approach of POPos as well as default Nvidia and amd GPU support make it an attractive option to try.
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Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.
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