Hi, your key lines are "disconnect between the people who use WordPress and those tasked with maintaining and leading it into the future. Responders appear less interested in new features than they are in optimizing core functionality and delivering a stable experience;". Exactly right. WP leaders seem focused more on "enjoy the experience" instead of worry about basic functionalities that SHOULD be part of the basic package, so that one is forced to install just another plugin to fill the hole, like - to name a few - Adminimize, IfMenu, Wordfence, Anti-spam, XML-CSV Import, login form customization, etc. It doesn't mean much to have a fantastic editing experience when your site can be easily hacked !