I think the Debian system compares favourably with the points VAXGeek made:
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You can build from source: "apt-get --build source PACKAGE" will retrieve and compile a package for you
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Central control over packages: self-apparent, I think
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Easy to update: "apt-get update" updates your package lists
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Easy to upgrade: "apt-get dist-upgrade" upgrades all packages on your system, even over major releases
And of course you get extra bonuses like dependency handling, the reccomends/suggests system, the care that the package maintainer has taken to produce a package that integrates well with the rest of the system, etc.