Install Debian server edition, select ssh and nothing else. Immediately use the /usr/bin/policy-rc.d trick to disable future autostarting of any services.
Install screen, tmux, sway, cage, Firefox with ublock origin, noscript and disabling page-chosen fonts. Install nmtui and nmcli, glow, z, etc.
See: https://github.com/mhoye/moderntools/
Set user TasksMax to 95%. Install pulseaudio.
Set up htop and dmesg on tty11/tty12 respectively. Do not do this in prod. This is for pets, not cattle.
Next: aliases.