Well, I stirred up the hive, I'll admit it.
I do think it is interesting to read all the responses. I was surprised to find I am in the minority on this issue and most people like things just the way they are. Rest assured you can expect far less complaining from yours truly on this subject in the future.
A few points before I go...
After reading the responses here, I have come to a realization that this is primarily an information-based forum. Perhaps it is OK to not have bells, whistles, smileys, and 1.2 megapixel pictures on a site that is primarily about sharing ideas which are often technical in nature (though a three-minute grace period to edit posts would be nice).
Perhaps changing things would even involve a certain dumbing-down of the readership and keep our highly paid editor's nose to the grindstone even more than it currently is, deleting posts. Scoop is certainly a challenging software to use, especially in posting pictures. Maybe leaving it the way it is keeps out the low-brows who can't be bothered to learn HTML.
Upon reflection, I think my comparing this site to social networking sites was a bad idea. The purpose and focus of those sites is different. I was going for more of a sense of community here, which I now realize is not the goal here at all, but rather the sharing of information.
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I think I just had an epiphany. The guys who run this site drive model As and run antique steam boilers. I admire that aspect of our hosts and have failed to respect that vision in all my complaining. Perhaps slow change is best and I do feel a little guilty now for stirring up trouble, but I learned something in all of this if it means anything.