I started with screen and then move to tmux (don't really remember why). I've never been a fan of :terminal. I start and quit Vim multiple times a day (even for the same project) and opening new tmux pane or tab is the reflex for me. I rarely use tabs in vim. My philosophy is that buffers are like sheets of paper on my desk. I rearrange them based on what I want to do. Moving to another tab is like moving to another desk. If I need the terminal for a quick command, I do Ctrl-Z.