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.
… 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.
Easiest is not “like saying best”. Best is a much more objective measurement. The simple procedure involved with installing and configuring HASS.IO to get started makes it the easiest … making no starting assumptions. Therefore I stand by my statement … use HASS.IO … It’s the easiest.