I'd say Nostr is about exploring what is possible once the user take ownership of its cryptography.
the NIP repo is a free market of idea built around this predicate. Interoperability will happen naturally around the best ideas.
Discussion
It is a free market of ideas indeed. But if competing choices persist for many years, like three types of DM systems or two ways of doing git, then interoperability between those clients is totally lost.
Eventually a clearer standard full of the most optimized choices should be established to regain that universal compatibility.
I think we’re getting closer to being able to map out that new standard thanks to all the experimentation that has occurred over the last couple years.
the best systems will emerge, I agree it is a bit of a chaos, especially in DMs, but it's being figured out and we'll see what nostriches prefers.