Just want to point out that, while it’s a mess in practice, there is a correct place for these files and the problem is that many applications ignore it. Configuration files should be written to an aptly named folder in ~/.config/ (or more precisely, in $XDG_CONFIG_HOME which is set to ~/.config/ in most systems). ~/.local/share/ (or $XDG_DATA_HOME, respectively) is for user data, which is different from config.

• NixOS and its declarative approach irreversibly changed the way I think about system configuration and maintenance. Home manager and flakes are really important puzzle pieces in that as well.

• The steam deck is an amazingly well thought-out Linux computer that just anybody can use intuitively.

• From a UX standpoint, I love being able to remap keys on the system level with Interception Tools. (e.g. CapsLock is Esc if pressed and Ctrl if held on all my hardware for all users.)

Not exactly what you are looking for, but modern shells like fish or zsh (probably?) are good at suggesting completions from history. fzf is another great tool for that. Both are super useful for remembering and repeating commands.