When a problem is finally solved well on OpenBSD it’s usually the best solution going. Some might not agree but I think OpenBSD has the best wireless configuration system going, and the most Unixy one as well.
I just don’t have time to beta test an init system with more LoC than the 2.6 kernel plus GCC 4. For now Devuan is where we landed but moving entirely away from Linux as Redhat moves system d into the kernel is the overall plan.
You will never massage and cram all the remote cruft efficiently enough to get back the responsiveness of an Apple II. Today’s software is turtles all the way down from the library to the sub-library to the JIT to the application and OS and hardware and they each need 5-25 milliseconds to even wake up. That’s before you even hit the network.