Actually, a 0fpm descent at touchdown isn't ideal from an aircraft performance view; while the big wigs in the back of a corporate jet might like it, since it won't spill their drinks, they won't like the runway overrun that might result if you have to float along half the runway to achieve the soft landing.
Nominal performance data assumes a fairly decent descent rate, to minimise distance in the air. On-ground handling requires a decent impact too - especially in gusty or high crosswind conditions, perhaps, where the phrase used is sometimes to "assertively" place the aircraft on the runway. You're not trying to emulate a carrier landing, but you want the time near but not on the ground to be minimized, as a sudden gust could roll one wing into the ground, ruining your day.
Incidentally, gear are usually stressed for descent rates of the order of 10-12 fps - say 750fpm. So that's pretty much a defined upper limit; much higher and it could be a "crash you walked away from", not a landing
