These questions highlight the overwhelm that users can feel as they're getting started with Nix. The Nix ecosystem is so replete with divergent possibilities that navigating it can absolutely play into paralysis by analysis, and lead users to hesitate to learn more because they don't know where to start or which competing tools in the ecosystem are more suitable or more likely to be 'the future'. That is an experience of floundering for sure.

But in terms of contributions, capabilities, and userbase, the Nix lately been subject to impressive and exciting growth that you mention. I think the best is yet to come, but it's already fair to say that Nix is flourishing.

The community and the codebases also do have growing pains, of course. But I don't think that Nix is floundering at all.