[da-x]

> Unlike how rpm or apk packages are done, the deb package sources by design avoid having one massive procedural packaging recipe.

I think that one massive recipe of a well documented preprocessed language such as RPM is exactly what makes RPM maintenance a breeze compared to DEB. The inputs and outputs of each stage are clear. The expansion of the macros. The idea that you only need to execute a single command `rpmbuild` and everything is neatly wrapped from underneath it.