I checked the flow chart, which gave me Debian or Arch, but I'm not sure what DE I should install. I've used Ubuntu before but it feels like a tablet OS and the functionality isn't all there or locked away from the GUI for some reason (ie. taskbar sizes), or shit like file transfers or unpacking happening in the background with no visible window.

I've tried Gnome, Mate, Cinnamon and KDE for DEs, but they either come with glaring security issues (such as middle mouse paste, where you end up auto posting your bank details and screenshots to 4chan when you accidentally miss the link) or it doesn't really support drag & drop operations and other stuff well enough, like Gnome doesn't even have proper thumbnail support for the open file dialog.

I don't need the DE to look modern out of the box, but I do want maximum quality of life when it comes to mouse operations on the GUI