Install profiles: what's the problem?

Install profiles are an inflexible solution that encourages lock-in and when they go out-of-support they leave a site stuck. Install profiles cannot be uninstalled without using additional contrib. They cannot build on other install profiles because inheritance of configuration is a very hard problem to resolve.

Here are some of the many issues of the years that describe people's problems:

• Allow install profiles to be switched https://www.drupal.org/project/drupal/issues/1242956
• Install profile is disabled for lots of different reasons and core doesn't allow for that https://www.drupal.org/project/drupal/issues/1170362
• Add support for recommends[] and fix install profile dependency special casing https://www.drupal.org/project/drupal/issues/820054
• Allow profiles to define a base/parent profile https://www.drupal.org/project/drupal/issues/1356276