I used lightroom too. I'm on the last version that isn't subscription based. Since I didn't upgrade my camera, I could stick with the old version (Adobe doesn't back port new cameras into the old version of its software). I noticed the "view photos on map" feature is now broken.

and since my new desktop is linux I've been looking for alternatives. "DarkTable" seems promising but I haven't really got the hand of the UI.

Darktable is a bit laggy (sadly), but it has a whole bunch of amazing filters that not even the latest Photoshop or Lightroom has, so it is well worth diving into. The equalizer tool is incredibly powerful and flexible, for example[0].

That linked video is by Robert Hutton, he makes really good tutorials for Darktable so that might help you.

Anyway, for non-realistic stuff you can add G'MIC for more filter-options and you are pretty much set for life[1].

[0] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zzVXK4eAM5E

[1] http://gmic.eu/

I want to use and like Darktable, but it just feels so foreign after using LR for over a decade at this point. I keep giving it a try, so maybe one day it will stick :)

Oh believe me, I totally get the feeling - muscle memory can backfire like that. Especially if neither old nor new interface is perfectly intuitive, and also just similar enough to be confusing where they differ.

I can't stress enough how good Robert Hutton's tutorial videos are though! They often contain little nuggets of behavior that I missed when first learning a new tool. For example, until I watched his videos I didn't know double-clicking on any curve resets it. Knowing those kind of little things adds up over time.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLmvlUro_Up1NBX7VK8UUu...