"Docker is unusuably slow". Is that a Mac thing or Docker thing ?
When you run Docker "on" a Mac, you are actually running the Linux version of Docker inside of a hypervisor. Docker tries to make this as transparent as possible, but there is a performance penalty.
If you're on an M1 Mac and using an x86 container, you're also doing CPU translation. And unlike Rosetta, it's emulating a full CPU, not passing to native libraries.
I’d feel remiss to not also mention Asahi Linux, which runs on bare metal. It’s not quite ready for prime time yet, but I’d be surprised if it wasn’t within a year, at most. But, I also wouldn’t make a purchase based on that.