I agree. And, as mentioned, these hosting providers will likely make node.js just as simple soon, and node will replace php as the whipping boy for flippant remarks. What's old is new again. This is more about providing newbies with good advice than it is about PHP.
Honestly, I don't see that happening soon, if ever. PHP was easy for hosting providers because it was easy to plug in to existing virtual hosting support in Apache and FTP servers. Node is more complicated; there's no obvious "right" way to handle many Node apps running on a single shared server.
There were several ways for PHP too, and still are, FWIW. The shared hosting providers eventually settled on the best compromise of price/performance/security.
What they provide now is better and more scalable than old school CGI. Most of the shared hosts are using LightSpeed[1] as it squeezes as much as possible out of PHP in a shared environment. That vendor, and their low end shared host customers, aren't dumb. They will respond to market changes and make node.js a 1st class support item when it is clear that's where the money is.
