Linux

River-classic has long been a favorite of mine. It's easy to setup and maintain. I use that, or Sway on Void linux. Here's a list of apps that might help you get started.

https://arewewaylandyet.com/

For my own River setup, I used waybar, fuzzel, mako, nwg-look, hyprpicker, brightnessctl, swaybg, swaylock, kitty, imv, grim udiskie, mpd/rmpc, and mpv.

I would suggest looking for user dot files of the the window manager you are interested in, and getting a feel for the syntax and how they set up their system. From there, you could start making small edits to a basic config file, to make it more in line with your workflow. Most ricers, myself included, started this way. You see something you like, look at how they did it, and alter, or adapt it to suit your needs. At first, it may seem difficult, but with time, and a little patience, it's fun and will make for a system that's your own.

Also, check out Noctalia shell. You don't need all the those programs that I listed to set up River, as Noctalia will provide all the functionality you need, and is super customizable in terms of theming. I like setting up Niri with Noctalia and it works quite well. Works fine with Sway as well. AFAIK, River isn't supported at this time.

https://noctalia.dev/

Happy ricing!