Here is the list by the OP:

- PulseAudio / Pipewire
- Gnome
- GTK4
- Wayland
- dbus
- NetworkManager
- A messaging system that’s not federated
- Linux-specific software (e.g. Docker)

@dcc Guess how many barebone install of Debian have any of this? Its only dbus, the rest maybe turned off at start if cannot just entirely removed. At my use-case there is absolutely nothing wrong with the init system used, of even with the default compiled kernel.

I honestly do not understand the "A messaging system that’s not federated" item - something like RabbitMQ, something non-routed like cjdns, something like I2P, Zot/ZAP?

So you get no support from me one way or the other. Your bone with tis over tat is really insignificant, considering that all you need to do is build your own.

I do not have that choice, I am 100% limited by the upstream.