Eh...everything I ride except for my singlespeed has derailleurs. Never had any significant problem with them. I've done some spectacularly dumb things on a bike, wrecked in significant and showy ways, and never messed up the drivetrain.

I think, on the whole, internally geared hubs last longer, but either works fine for most folks.

Honestly, however, I ride my singlespeed way more than the geared bikes...light, non-flashy, non-fussy. It's an old Schwinn World Sport, with 39X17 gearing, 28c tires, and a lovely kelly-green Krylon paint job that brings me aesthetic joy every day I ride it.