[cyphar]

> BUT most of their work is lost to us due to the way distros handle external software.

Distributions put a lot of work into making sure that software they package is managed and handled in a way that their users like. Your example, Debian, is a distribution that favours stability above all else -- so is it a surprise that features are not merged into packages that often? There are many distributions (openSUSE Tumbleweed, Antegros, Arch Linux) that are far more rolling release and have newer packages.

If you want new software, use a distribution that gives you what you want. Don't blame the distribution for providing what the majority of its users (and community) want.