Android and the iPhone both also have this problem (well not as much for the iPhone but it has happened in exteme cases). For Android they have to use a solution similar to ours for the older tablets (basically boot off the memory card if I recall). For the iPhone you just have to take off apps and put them back on later.

It's not as much as you have to uninstall apps, it's more that developers need to start /optifying their apps (to install to the 2 GB partition) instead of the limited root partition. It is possible to expand it though if your comfortable with the terminal and flashing (root or opt). Do a search for partitioning, I'd give his username but I have no idea how to replicate it since it's not in english characters.

Though your going run into a problem either way as developers begin moving to /opt making your large /root partition relatively moot unless you like to test deval software since then everything will be correctly installing to /opt. You could link them though.