I used to like Ubuntu, but gave up on it for similar reasons. I have an old machine, so I find Ubuntu too bloated. I've been on Debian Stable for a few years no

I used to like Ubuntu, but gave up on it for similar reasons. I have an old machine, so I find Ubuntu too bloated. I've been on Debian Stable for a few years now, using MATE. It's fuss-free. I don't find the software too old, but I use a few bits that I've compiled myself. Linux Mint has a good reputation, so I would consider that if I was thinking of moving away from Debian.