all good points, i think it really is just a preference thing, i keep config files in github via chezmoi and then just chezmoi apply on different machines.
i agree things get a bit messy but i try to keep the OS in a state where I can reinstall at any time without any trouble.
config files on github, pacman -S any tools i need, important docs all in the cloud already, couldnt get much simpler than that imo
i do get the desire to have a reproducible OS, just dont know that its something i need