I think expectations have changed over the years, but knowing that
a problem exists does not necessarily mean that it can be fully solved.
The Expectation for many new users these days is to have everything
handed to them on a platter, the whole works including the UI, ready
to go on their box.
We just can't do that, there is simply too much variation between PC
systems, chipsets, and even more importantly two much breakage between
inter-dependent bits in pkgsrc and assumptions made by application
programmers that make maintaining a system with tons and tons of packages
installed difficult at best.
The absolute best we can do is stay within shouting distance. We can
make progress on many fronts but we are already using every single last
man-hour we have. Making progress on the UI front, in particular, needs
many more active developers than the BSDs have *COMBINED*. Even linux
developers have a hard time keeping up with the times as packages become
obsolete and their original authors move on. There are very few cases
where a new programmer takes a project over from a burned out programmer.
New becomes old primarily because it stops getting worked on, not because
it has a small user base.
-Matt
