I'm sorry if I'm wrong, but my impression is that you're just not aware of much of what goes on in different linux distros. For one thing, app store like package managers have been around long before app stores and is where app stores got the idea.

You may be getting the impression that only terminal based solutions exist for certain things because there is a preponderance of interest and articles written for those solutions. The more GUI ones don't require articles so they don't get mentioned. Also, its easier to put a terminal command in an article than to describe the long process of click here, here, here, drag, here, here, here, clickety clickety clickety etc.

Sure there are some programs that you'll just have to compile yourself if you want to use them, but they're the exception and typically you'd have to compile them to run on windows as well.

I think your current opinion may be outdated.