Oh, sorry I guess I was not detailed enough @frongt@lemmy.zip - I have a working desktop Linux system and an unused i7 laptop (whose battery does not charge, btw) 2 machines - I can use the desktop to prepare the thumb drive and the do the work on the laptop.

What about Busybox init do you find attractive?

A choice for every person who finds the existing choices lacking for whatever reason.

One day, an alien race will meet the ‘Children of Munroe’, who communicate with each other in simple numeric sequences.

:^)

Lenovo… I have a Lenovo laptop that requires you to insert a paper clip into a tiny hole to access the boot menu or the BIOS settings. That, combined with a keyboard faux pas, puts Lenovo off the list.

Is choice a bad thing? Each one gets the features and workflow that suits that one. You put the wheels on your Linux that you like the best, I choose mine too. They all work on the same roads.

What hardware was too locked down, and what did you do about that? (And if you bought new hardware what did you get?)