snap is a Ubuntu thing, nobody else uses it. Even Ubuntu users don't want to use it.
Nobody uses brew outside MacOS.
tio is in the AUR. Recent controversies aside, it's as easy as installing a regular package. But maybe GP doesn't have 10GB to install the entire build chain.
While that is technically true, snaps are very much build for ubuntu. For example it's sandboxing relies on apparmor meaning on distro without it such as archlinux, there is no confinement or security advantage.
Meanwhile flatpak is an actual distro agnostic containerized package management system using namespaces and seccomp available everywhere. Its infrastructure is also officially self hostable unlike snaps.
I don't think your assessment of the DJI Mini thing is very fair. Sounds like they would be more than happy to accept a pull request and indeed there is an open one the maintainers are helping get merged [1].
Shame that the new workflow doesn't work well for your particular camera and setup - but I would encourage other people to try it, because it works great for mine.
We know :-) It very much seems there is no dt developer currently interested in this sort of correction, i suppose none are using such devices.
Just two reminders:
Such "missing support for my camera" started me to get into darktable code. A lot of code to be reused is there, there are already some hints, just go ahead :-)
Some comments above i suggested something ... :-)
