I think the problem is greater than RPM vs DEB vs ... It goes all the way back to the Linux philosophy "let the user break things".
I think some people use Linux to avoid paying Windows license fees or Apple's premium. There are tools only developed for Linux, but the opposite is also true for Windows and macOS. I've found most macOS apps follow Apple's core philosophy to be simple, aesthetically appealing, and easy to use. Can't say that for Linux packages (and to some extent, even Windows apps suck).
I view Linux mostly as an environment where you're free to do whatever you want, even shoot yourself in the foot. But I'd never recommend that to average Joe, for reasons such as the fact that this article exists.
Nobody uses Linux to avoid paying Windows because Windows comes preinstalled on most computers and because Windows piracy exists and is tolerated by Microsoft in order to entrench Windows usage. Switching to Linux is a deliberate choice to prefer the benefits only Linux offers and/or to avoid the detriments of all other options. The majority use the preinstalled default: Windows.
Also nobody uses Linux to avoid Apple's premium because macOS is free. A minority of people install Linux on Macs because they prefer/need Linux even if they already paid the Apple premium. The rest simply use the preinstalled default: macOS.
For a user with basic needs and no dependency on some Windows-only software, Linux is a viable choice.
Was there ever a time when "Unix" apps primarily targeted macOS? Because in most cases I've encountered, apps are only tested on Linux and macOS compatibility is an afterthought.
If it was a Linux problem (which is an interesting thing to think about), wouldn't you expect to see the same issues in all the distros? Arch, Alpine, etc seem to have a pretty good system. PKGBUILD in particular I found great.
I think some people use Linux to avoid paying Windows license fees or Apple's premium. There are tools only developed for Linux, but the opposite is also true for Windows and macOS. I've found most macOS apps follow Apple's core philosophy to be simple, aesthetically appealing, and easy to use. Can't say that for Linux packages (and to some extent, even Windows apps suck). I view Linux mostly as an environment where you're free to do whatever you want, even shoot yourself in the foot. But I'd never recommend that to average Joe, for reasons such as the fact that this article exists.