I find this thread exhausting to read and one reason is the mixture of different "standards". Can we find a way to label the geo we are referring to?
For example: in the UK you have the "standard" overhead join with life side and dead side of the traffic pattern, which is very uncommon in other countries, the US and parts of Europe I know use the 45 entering downwind, other parts of Europe use a straight in to downwind as does many African countries usually do, besides from common standard T-shaped entering base and no downwind.
All these techniques do have benefits and drawbacks, so we have to chat - especially if somebody is joining from another standards geo. When I first entered a UK overhead join I was frightened, because I never used it in central Europe, mainly because on my frequent airfields we had glider activity directly overhead the fields and this would have been dangerous - but I clearly broke the rule to radio short and said to the others in traffic pattern sorry and explained this is my first time for such a thing. Very british they guided me down very politely, which may be different at other places, where the buttheads rule.