I've been around this loop before. I've come to the conclusion that it's a fool's errand to try to use Debian-supplied libraries for app development, and that

I've been around this loop before. I've come to the conclusion that it's a fool's errand to try to use Debian-supplied libraries for app development, and that Debian shouldn't bother trying to support it. Debian-supplied libraries should only be for user-facing applications supplied by the Debian distribution itself. The system copy should be for the system only, and unless you're writing software intended to be part of that system, it's not for you. If you opt in to using it, you've got to accept the trade-off that the rest of the system and all its concerns come first - and that includes not introducing changes unless absolutely necessary. I'd much prefer a clear "line in the sand" policy like that than the status quo, which tries to keep everyone happy.