Installer and configuration tools are different from what an average user typically expects, and can take some time getting used to. It's certainly not Calamares or Anaconda based. However, it does do the job.

MX-Linux includes SystemD, but it is not enabled by default. Instead, it uses a shim to allow systemd libraries to be used. This hybrid system can confuse users who are unaware of it, especially when they find that systemctl doesn't work out of the box.