" I have always said it, the themes available on WordPress.org are the face of WordPress."

I fully agree with this. For a lot of folks who are just starting out with WordPress, a free theme makes sense. And trying to set one up may account for one of their first experiences using the software. If it's a bad one, they may not come back.

To me, having a way for users to easily find, compare and test out free themes is a key part of the onboarding experience.

Right now, the theme repository feels like an afterthought. And it's understandable, knowing the other things that have been in development. Certainly not the fault of the Themes Team - their hands have been tied.

But you still can't upload block-based themes? How are people supposed to get the full Gutenberg experience without themes aimed at its use? This is lacking in the commercial market as well. Maybe finally allowing this on .org will give the repository an edge.