Simplicity of implementation vs simplicity of use (as well as simplicity for a beginner vs simplicity for an advanced user). A suckless tool (lets say st) is a

Simplicity of implementation vs simplicity of use (as well as simplicity for a beginner vs simplicity for an advanced user). A suckless tool (lets say st) is a simpler implementation. Easier to port, less likely to have bugs, less likely to have security issues, etc. Features are added under patches, as it's easier to add a feature then take one out. If it helps think of it as how much of programming is dedicated to reducing complexity, breaking things down, abstracting to core components, etc. I do use a lot of suckless utilities but from personally experience running Alpine as a daily driver for ~3 months I can't in good conscience recommend a MUSL distribution, despite the fact that in my opinion Alpine does everything else right.