While many of the issues with Debian can be resolved by compiling from source, this has been one of the main causes of system failure for me in the past. It also requires equal or greater effort than playing with Nixfiles.

I guess you are doing something wrong here. I can't imagine that compiling stuff on Debian would be trickier than tinkering with NixOS.

Maybe you have been following advices on the web instead of taking the time to understand problems and keep your Debian tidy?

Besides, between an expert niche like NixOS and the popular Ubuntu, there are more than a dozen OSes you can consider when it comes to preferences on maintenance. You don't have to consider so many, but a blog article on your particular three / four (NixOS, Debian Ubuntu + Mint) looks a bit off.