I have not seen any other threads on this subject, but perhaps there needs to be some clarification in the install process of what exactly the differences are between HASS.IO and Hassbian/Python install methods.
There are a lot of threads around here and on reddit that show how confusing it is. People are wondering why they don’t have add-ons available, and what the differences are. I think the ‘Getting Started’ section really needs to clarify what the distinct differences are.
Couldn’t agree more.
The Getting Started has recently been updated by the devs, so it would appear that they didn’t quite achieve what they were after.
If you’ve got ideas for how to improve it, please use the Edit this page in GitHub link and suggest improvements.
Start here. https://blog.ceard.tech/2017/11/which-home-assistant-install-is-right.html
Few points here: What is the difference between Hassbian and HASS.io?
Pick hassio. its the easiest to work with.
It’s the easiest if you want no other functionality out of your system than what the add-ons and base system present to you.
Pick the install approach that suits you best. Blindly recommending a single approach never works well 
Hmmm … sounds like a reasonable place to start … or are you suggesting something different?
… and why are you assuming that this was a “blind” recommendation? Are you recommending something different or are you just being critical based on your assumption?
You said “Use X, it’s the easiest”. Well, easy depends on the person and their experience, and what they’re looking to achieve. It’s like saying “X is best” - in reality there’s no single thing that’s universally “best”.
I’m recommending that people look at all the options and then pick the one that suits them. If somebody has zero tech skills and no interest in learning, then actually a commercial home automation platform may be best for them. If somebody’s already running a Docker environment, then using the Docker install may be the one that suits them most. And so on.