What I'm loving about this poll is everyone is positive and has an opinion (NixOS is getting a lot of shadow votes). "I'm using <x> but YMMV" and "I like <x> but <z> might be interesting" are surprisingly common responses. Every suggestion is appreciated.

Hm. This process is substantially more frustrating than when I last installed or updated an OS. Issues have been: a) corrupt boot image, b) you have to install from the network oh and by the way your wireless network drivers are NONFREE so have fun finding some for your 10-year-old laptop, c) unless you have been installing this OS since 1987, you will not be able to understand this installation guide - consult your VAX admin for assistance.

Maybe the problem is I'm still trying to use unetbootin to create a bootable USB stick from a Windows box. The alternatives do not fill me with faith :/

@arclight
Have you tried ventoy? https://www.ventoy.net/en/index.html
No need to burn the image, just place the ISOs in a directory and choose at boot time