Yup, that's the benefit. To each their own on Linux. I absolutely love Wayland and Systemd (snap... not so much), but no one is forcing me to use them or not use them, and that's the way I like it.

Exactly. In a broad sense, 'Linux' is an idea not a specific thing. I mean, yes, there is a specific kernel but beyond that it is flexible beyond reason.

I have stuck with distros that are not trying to chase the latest trends but keep a ethical high ground.

CachyOS was the one who moved me from Ubuntu/Debian based distros.

I'm not a kernel plumber, but I don't think Wayland, systemd or snap are necessarily part of Linux whatsoever.

You might think that desktop environments are going downhill (which is a fair opinion), but Steam reports an all-time high adoption of desktop Linux in 2026: https://www.gamingonlinux.com/steam-tracker/

I could not disagree more. I have been using linux for about 15 years. Linux is better now than it ever was.