[nukem222]

> They've turned it around

Eh, the same complaints are the same as always. Expectations have improved, tho! I think that's what we're seeing here.

[LennyHenrysNuts]

Nah, the original blender interface is night and day when compared with the modern one.

People who complain should be forced to spend a day with Blender 2 (I think that was the version I tried first)

[SJC_Hacker]

I thought the modelling workflow at least, has been fundamentally unchanged. The common hotkeys like G for Grab, S for scale, X for extrude, etc.

Not sure about the more advanced features like sculpting

[nukem222]

Eh i've also used since the beginning. People love to complain. I put zero weight on this hypothesis.

Other interfaces at the time were just as bad if not worse.

[progmetaldev]

I personally think you're both right, but it depends on when you first started using Blender. You're 100% correct that interfaces at the time when Blender was released were completely experimental, and I'd compare it to trying to navigate AI as an uninformed end user when it first was introduced, versus now. That's where I would put Blender when it was first released. The interface was good for what it was compared to the other popular 3D software at the time, but it's so much better and more evolved now. I'd say that you mentioning shortcuts makes you a power user, which should be the goal when you use any piece of software for your career. I just don't think that people bother to learn as much as you did back when you started using Blender, which I think shows your dedication, but also shows a lack of deep knowledge most (not all) people that start with a new technology have currently. It's not unknown to get a fresh graduate or self-taught person that wants to deep dive into the software they make use of daily, but I feel like it's far more uncommon that it was 20 years ago or more.