Let me summaries my position:

RPM vs DEB - I read the whole thread and I want to say that it is not packaging format but the paradigm behind of it.

DEB allows many tricks ==> developers use it ==> end customer has problems with it.

RPM more weak at tricky points and developers are required to follow it and because of that some debian-based problems disappears. For exam, because less sophisticated dependency management the LIBRARIES are distributed with more attention and there is less problem with interdependencies. Nobody would create a situation like existence of libqt4-core with libqt4-maemo-core which (I believe) are mostly some derivate versions.


On other side - GUI vs command line tools:

I used 'configure/make/make install' many years. Couple of years I was forced to use YaST2 (because of SuSE - changed a workplace). I never had any problem with YaST2, and I noted that dependency handling in YaST2 is pretty user-friendly. It lists all packages which it will install in advance and in friendly manner you can chose that to do. The same is for conflicts and you have a good chance to explore dependency.

Command line tools never give that kind of pleasure.


Finally, specific words about apt/dpkg packages. Last time then I saw that kind of half-cooked applications was around 15years ago. I was choked then I got messages about DELETING of some packages then I just tried to DOWNLOAD it from repository. And it also tries ask my confirmation about it! (and silently and happily just forget about positive answer after completing download... but you never sure until it finishes)

And this is not only one - try to construct a command to download only ONE package from repository. Try to download a SPECIFIC version of some package having some newer version (yes, it is possible but it reminds me an ASSEMBLER programming... I know, I know, the real programmers never use Pascal...)