[tcdent]

Depending on how you look at it, it could be said that their 'response' has been there all along via the API.

There is a vocal minority that is looking for more powerful tools to manage their specific project's workflows, often related directly to the behavior of their audience, which sounds like an obvious opportunity for custom tools (to a software developer at least).

For many projects, the structure and interface third parties provide is almost always worth leveraging. Get 99% of your product from day one and spend your time hacking on the few additional features you may need.