OSNews has a full-length article about Autopackage:
If you’ve used Linux for more than ten minutes, you’ve almost certainly come across the nightmare that is package management. You know what I mean – dependancy hell has become legendary and it’s no exagguration to say that one of the most offputting aspects of Linux for a new user is the lack of InstallShield type 3 click installs. This article looks at how we ended up in the quagmire of RPM and dependancy hell, and then moves on to talk about a possible solution in the form of autopackage. It takes a high level overview of how autopackage works and what it’s capable of. If you want more technical details, check out the website. Finally, this article assumes only that you’re interested, not that you have any Linux experience.
Hmm. The conclusion among many is that RPM is not an ideal solution, but RPM alternatives like .tgzs, apt-get, gentoo emerge, and others also tend to have their quirks. I read somewhere that Red Hat is working on a next generation RPM. What problems will it solve? What problems will it cause? I don’t know.