Long time Gentoo user for similar reasons: flexibility and transparency.
Similar thoughts about Nix too. Messed around with it in limited ways but it's not a good match for how I like to run my systems and I don't find the extra layer of complexity to be a good enough trade-off.
Frankly I am a bit surprised that I am still on Gentoo after all these years (decades), you'd think that something better[1] would come along. But if it's out there I have yet to find it.
[1] ...better for my personal preferences and use cases
Similar thoughts about Nix too. Messed around with it in limited ways but it's not a good match for how I like to run my systems and I don't find the extra layer of complexity to be a good enough trade-off.
Frankly I am a bit surprised that I am still on Gentoo after all these years (decades), you'd think that something better[1] would come along. But if it's out there I have yet to find it.
[1] ...better for my personal preferences and use cases