The npm of the C world is the dozen different package management systems that people have crafted and spent countless hours on. They work, but the lack of a standard makes it a bit cumbersome. Building a .deb is like trying to run a american ninja course, lots and lots of esoteric obstacles. Sure you can hack a .deb, but there's about 2 dozen tools to actually make one that works like the real deal instead of your ad-hoc tarball.