If you often record your Linux terminal sessions, you'll want to take a look at the asciinema tool. It's able to record what ...

Before deleting my current Linux distro, I need to grab a list of manually installed packages. This will include every piece of software installed on my system that didn't come with it by default.

Do you want to use Linux, but are afraid that you'll have to use the command line? Fret not, as there is probably a GUI that can handle the command you might need.