In reply to Moz.

I don't see themes going anywhere. The theme system will change drastically, but it'll still be around in some form. That's scary enough -- not knowing what things will look like on the development side of things. The frustration that many authors are feeling is in the here and now. Like you said, folks are losing sleep during this transitional period, especially when things are changing every time you turn around. I expect the future of theme building to be pretty exciting. We just have to survive long enough to get there. :)