dpkg

If you're using a Debian or Debian-based Linux distribution like Ubuntu, then dpkg is a must-have package maintenance utility. It contains low-level commands for handling the installation and removal of packages on your system. It's worth noting that developers will also need to install the dpkg-dev package to unpack and build Debian source packages. While dpkg itself is a low-level tool, higher-level tools like APT should be used to fetch packages from remote locations or deal with complex package relations.

In terms of end-user experience, aptitude or synaptic are encouraged as the go-to package managers. These tools provide a more sophisticated way of dealing with package relationships and a friendlier interface. The Debian package "dpkg" provides the dpkg program, as well as other necessary programs like dpkg-statoverride, dpkg-divert, and update-alternatives which help with run-time functioning of the packaging system. Start-stop-daemon and install-info are also included in this package, with the latter being kept mainly due to backwards compatibility (it is developed and distributed separately nowadays).

If you want to install a .deb package, the example use is quite straightforward with dpkg: simply use the "dpkg -i deb file name" command. To get a list of installed packages, use "dpkg -l" with an optional pattern. Alternatively, to remove an installed package, use "dpkg -r package name". Overall, dpkg is a powerful tool for package management that is especially useful for developers or users who want to take a more hands-on approach to package installation, removal, and maintenance.