Quoting Robert Storey (robert.storey@???):

> I'd probably be fine with extlinux, though at the moment my preferred
> bootloader is still Grub-Legacy. So easy to configure, and it "Just Works"™
> every time. I'm only forced to mess with it when I install a new distro
> that rams Grub2 down your throat, in which case I usually fix it by booting
> Puppy Linux and running the included Grub1 installer, then copying my
> already-tweaked menu.lst file to the /boot partition.

I've come to appreciate virtual machines for trying out different ideas
for system software: For example, VirtualBox can simulate UEFI in a
virtual machine and you can then install your choice of distro as a
guest OS and experiment with bootloaders, without risking a real machine
configuration. Example tutorial using Arch Linux as guest OS:
https://www.linuxbabe.com/virtualbox/install-arch-linux-uefi-hardware-virtualbox

Of course, if 'Grub1' meets your needs, great!

> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rube_Goldberg_machine
>
> If there's a more modern term for this, I'd be interested in knowing what
> it is.

No, Rube is eternal!
http://www.theverge.com/2015/4/22/8381963/rube-goldberg-machine-contest-history-ideas