Quick poll: this approach (2026 edition) [v4]

Posting this here because the relevant subreddit has gotten too noisy lately. I want to write something more comprehensive about this later but starting with a quick post to gather thoughts.

Quick context: I am relatively new to this and trying to find my footing.

Long-time lurker, first-time poster. The trade-offs here are not obvious to me and I keep flip-flopping. Posting this here because the relevant subreddit has gotten too noisy lately.