Nixos has been extremely easy to get working for most stuff. If you stray off the trail at all, it gets complicated. Possible! But complicated for my little brain.

For everyone who doesn't have several different systems to maintain, I find the advantages of nixOS to be marginal. Sure, you can argue about atomicity and all, but honestly I don't remember ever running into a serious problem with debian either. The huge package repo is nice, but I rarely encounter an app I can't get through apt, flatpak, or as an appimage.

At the same time, nix also has various downsides. Documentation sucks. There are two main ways to manage the system, they both pretend to be the better one, and it's super hard to even get started. That's not an issue with the technology, but just a lack of priority. Guix is much better on that end (but also comes with the same marginal advantages).

On the other hand, debian has a stable community, with proper processes, democratic structures etc.

This is a nice, kind of old presentation from debconf, where people discussed nix and how this could be useful in a debian context as well:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jGrcLEweglg

So, if you FOMO, don't worry. Debian and other options have this on the radar and have their ways to adapt (even if slowly)

How about installing nix on Gentoo?

Guix!

Linux From Scratch says hello

Gentoo is awesome, especially if you are a developer. Every toolchain at your fingertips. Easy full stack debugging!

Real masochists: CubeOS

For Steam games.

I keep telling myself that one of these days, surely, I'll eventually leave my comfy Fedora rpm-ostree setup, try out NixOS, and make the most of its super unique package management.

Surely.

I am seriously considering switching to either Gentoo or 9front...

You forgot secret option 3 - I use arch btw

Same masochism that made me a programmer...

Exherbo.

More masochistic!

Do a better on Linux from Scratch

NixOS is only bad when you learn to fly, mostly because not enough docs. But when you are all bruised up, it's a joy through and through.

I'd rather teach my grandma to install gentoo than ever touch nixOS again.