Hi 
and thanks for your reply
Yeah i know X11 is old and Wayland is the future, so i know i will have to take that step eventually.
I’m swamped in work and i have one hour a week to spend on learning Alma (Rhel based commands etc)
So i want to prioritize to learn the differences between Debian VS Rhel environment as i have zero experience to make the most of the few hours i have
I know Linux is Linux and distributions dont really matter as most is the same… But its still different package managers and also configuration files might be different.
I wonder how many times i will mistype and type apt instead of dnf. 
So why GUI… Its two reasons.
First I’m used to work with GUI environment when i sit at the servers over the KVM switch and I have remote access blocked for higher security. So my workflow have been GUI based for the last decades (blame microsoft for that) so its hardcoded into my spine as i feel i get a better overview and workflow. 
I still use the command-line even in windows for some troubleshooting, but its rare… often its just about adding new functions/shares or monitor the system and events etc. And thats all GUI based.
Its so rare i need to go to command-line so i need my cheat-sheet to remember some commands LOL
The second reason is i plan on learning while doing everyday tasks on a second computer, so i will need a desktop environment then. and i like Xfce. Basic simple and no extras. and Xfce dont work on Wayland yet (as far as i know)
So my steps will become.
So first i will set up a VM so i can screw up (as newbies always do) 
and then just restore my screw ups with a snapshot… 
Then i will start using Alma on one of my desktops i do some internet research on to learn its mood and personality, as i will encounter some of its nuances if i need to make an install or tweak or something.
And with only one hour a week for messing around time… then i can get a few more hours a week of “driving experience” if i have it on one desktop.
Then when i start to get a feel for Alma i will install Alma on a few small desktops at home to actually start running docker and then learn the step of setting up a cluster solution for AI usage.
When i feel comfortable enough to not screw up… then i will switch out the OS on my real servers so i know i wont get any downtime more then the install process.
That’s my messy plan.
If i had more messing around time, i wouldn’t go down this road-plan. 