> A small core set of libraries that change _very_ slowly and arent intentionally obsoleted every few months. Think of Windows like slow, stable and supported for a decade. Distribution of apps decoupled from the distribution of the base. Never make an app update trigger a lib update.

This is the idea of the linux standard base. The concept was developed over a decade ago and it has failed to show real fruit.

> You dont do that at all. Developers to that themselves like they do on Windows and OSX. Every dev packages his own app and puts it either into the App store or distributes it himself. You manage only the libs and dont allow them to change fast or in an uncoordinated, chaotic way.

You can already do this with the package management systems. For example, each game in the humble indie bundle installs into it's own /opt directory, with it's own private copies of it's dependencies. It uses the package management system to hook into desktop menu updates, etc. As a user, it's been a nightmare for me. Half of the games don't run at all and I'm at a loss for how to fix them or get replacement libraries.