>forced package management (as opposed to decentralized distribution of apps) What??? This isn't true at all, you can install deb/rpm packages you download fro

>forced package management (as opposed to decentralized distribution of apps) What??? This isn't true at all, you can install deb/rpm packages you download from the internet if you want, there's nothing stopping you. The truth is that you're strongly encouraged to install your applications from a trusted central repository because it's safer and more convenient. I'd also note that this is not unique to Linux. Android, iOS (this one is actually restrictive), and macOS all use the same model too. Windows also tried it with UWP and their store, and mostly just didn't succeed for legacy reasons.