@retronianneThe laptop was delivered yesterday. Early. I was delighted.
I spent most of the evening yesterday hopping and jumping and formatting...and in the end, I landed back towards the familiar.
I'm still delighted. :) 
@retronianneI only had one hiccup with the Mint install, and it's a common Intel GPU panel refresh issue that takes a quick kernel disable.
Everything else is working so smoothly. I'm shocked how things are going (so far); I've had some rough experiences with Linux and laptops in the past, and the standard hardware of this machine has helped a ton (so far). :)
@retronianneWhat's y'all's favorite Linux music player? :) 
@retronianne@tech.lgbtI queried everyone with the intent of trying all the suggestions and reporting back. Two folks (and several others afterwards) immediately suggested Quod Libet as their favorite. So I started with it.
Y'all.
With a number of track layouts, an EXCELLENT tagging system, and deep configuration changes with a number of plugins, this might have pegged my wants in one. It's good.
I'm still going to try the others suggested...but they have a high bar to clear. Quod Libet (I know...I don't like the name either) is really good. :)
@rebeccafinn@topspicy.social@retronianne it reminds me of songbird, a now abandoned open source mp3 player built using mozilla stuff.
(Note: DO NOT download it... Might have adware, spam, malware).
@retronianne Also a... fan? of Quod Libet?
I find it kinda boring, but everything else I try fails to deliver the basic competence Quod Libet delivers in every angle I want it to.
@retronianne@gourdcaptain I'll take functionality over flashy anyday. :)