Before of all, you must know that I really like the current look & feel of 
Squeak.  I don't want to change it to Windoze/Mac look.

 > Surprise!  Another newbie arrives to inform us that Squeak is deficient
 > because it doesn't look like Windows.

Surprise!  Another 'expert' thinking that the only true is the own one!

 > The archives are replete with
 > these arguments, which have been discussed substantively again and
 > again.

The list is replete with a lot of time wasted in 'expert' discussion.  Why 
do you think that one type of time is 'wasted' and the other is 'good'?  If 
we found the same threads in the list again and again, one think is sure: 
"Something is not closed"

 > Bottom line: don't like it, fix it.

The is half-true... There are a lot of work that is lost because is never 
included in the 'official' release.  Not only GUI work.  So the really nice 
phrase "fix it", now means "fix it, keep it working with all the releases, 
and if you are lucky, the change will be included in official release"

 > Many have implemented
 > various forms of "work-alike"-ism in the past -- including direct GUI
 > access, and interestingly enough, nobody really used them -- there
 > simply wasn't the need and demand for it that the newbies anticipated.

I agree, but there are a *lot* of other type of work (and some very good) 
that is not used too... So, you can said: "If it's not used, it's bad" ? or 
(using the reverse) "Java and VB are great because they are very used!"

 > The projects ultimately laid fallow after completion and dropped into
 > the bit bucket.

There are a lot of projects (not only GUI) dropped, and some very good!

[snip]
 > For the record, I don't find Squeak all that idiosyncratic.  And Squeak
 > hasn't had trouble finding excellent contributors either.

And, by now, has no problem losing excellent contributors.

 > In short, I
 > see no compelling need to make the changes suggested.  But here's the
 > neat thing -- for those that do, Squeak lets you build it.  Instead of
 > arguing about it, just do it.

You are considering only one part of the reality... I know a lot of 
excellent contributor that get tired trying to contribute with Squeak.

 > Otherwise, review the archives and learn
 > why nobody really is interested in doing what Karl and a zillion others
 > before him suggest.

I think that you must review the list too.

Cheers,

Diego Gomez Deck