I was really asking why it was unsatisfying, not why it was weird.
I agree that the lose track rule is complicated and weird for casual players and it's unfortunate that the rule does not appear in some of the rulebooks in which it is needed.
The rule has existed at least as early as Intrigue with Throne Room-Mining Village, although at the time the rulebook just dealt with that one specific interaction instead of explaining the general rule.
The way I see it, casual players have the same options they have with any weird rules issue that comes up playing any game: either they muddle through with whatever interpretation the group can agree on, or they can search online for a ruling. Dominion players have a unique advantage in that the game designer makes himself so readily accessible to rule on these matters, so the chances are that if a casual player does get stuck on a rules question they can probably find the answer online pretty quickly.