Podman has docker-compatible CLI, Dockerfiles and even docker-compose compatibility. It won't be as painful as you worry. So just give it a try. And besides the advantages already mentioned (rootless, no-daemon and isolated network namespaces), podman has some additional nifty features like pods (like in K8s), quadlets (containers managed by systems), compatibility with k8s manifests, etc.

undeniable that you'll have a thing or two pop up—whether or not it's worth it depends on how much you want to understand. despite differences in how it works, podman _is_ simpler.

the reality though is that you can install both docker and podman, and just start/stop docker as necessary. its easy enough to experiment with podman on a system with docker installed.

imo it's similar to folks that think learning a new shell is a huge undertaking. the reality is you just install the new thing and drop in and out of it as you get comfortable. if it sticks, cool, if not, also cool.