The documentation in the bitcoin.org site only talks about Ubuntu but no other distros.
It's all Ubuntu-based, so it shouldn't be a problem.
I would like to start a new node in some old computer I got, but the problem is, Ubuntu uses GNOME which is too much of a bloatware for my taste and specially for my older computer.
Can I go off-topic and think out of the box? I prefer Linux Mint over Lubunu and Xubuntu. I've tried them all many times.
I use Linux Mint on an old netbook with 1 GB RAM. it's still running Mint 17.3 (supported until April next year), and it works fine. I've used Bitcoin Core (pruned) on it for a long time, but stopped using it because it syncs too slow. If you keep it on continuously as a node, that shouldn't be a problem. I did install a SSD, but RAM and CPU are quite limited. I just tested it: Progress syncing Bitcoin Core: 0.09% per hour.
You say Gnome is too bloated, but have you tried
Clearlooks? I once again have a blue bar on top of my active Window (like Windows 95), my Window Manager is Makro + Compositing (instead of the bloated Compiz), I disabled all animations and 3D effects, and it feels less bloated.
Mint looks nice but I like the minimalist approach of Xubuntu, Lubuntu is probably overkill (too minimalist).
I plan on running a full node (non pruned) so im going to go for high capacity HDD because SSD's of 2TB+ are still too expensive. Also im paranoid that if I ever need to sell an SSD, I don't manage to fully wipe it and some Bitcoin stuff would remain, I heard SSD is harder to wipe than HDD and I want to sell them eventually.
How long did it took to verify the blockchain when you opened Core? I will be using 8 GB of RAM, the CPU is pretty old tho, around 2008 but should do. It will need to verify the full blockchain as it's not pruned and it's HDD.. might take a while but I guess no longer than 5 minutes. The modern Core versions verify really fast.
Clearlooks looks nice but I think GNOME will still be more resource consuming even if you make it look simpler, Xfce and specially LXDE are lighter.