[jen20]

> So Linux is a mess? And we should rethink how rpm and deb work?

Linux is indeed a mess, yes. RPM and Deb are both awful formats stuck in the 90s, with even worse package managers on the top. Even with the legacy of those, installing a package does not involve templating a whitespace-sensitive language with a mediocre template language.

> Or all Deb issues go away if you stop using Linux?

Never had any issues with debs on FreeBSD. Or NixOS if one likes the Linux kernel.

The idea that helm is even a package manager is fanciful at best, in any case.

[kkapelon]

> The idea that helm is even a package manager is fanciful at best, in any case.

The front page of helm.sh literally says "The package manager for Kubernetes". If it was advertised as "the best templating engine for K8s" or something similar I would agree with you.

People try to abuse Helm.sh as a fancy templating engine. And the testament to that is all the articles "Helm vs Kustomize vs JSonnet vs ..."

[jen20]

Lots of things describe themselves in fanciful terms. Helm has none of the trappings of a package manager, yet all of the trappings of a mediocre template renderer.