As for the simple GUI...I have been in many a meeting where it was discussed. Unfortunatly, the devs feel that XML would be a required change in moving to a GUI config. With switching to an XML config all previous modules, themes, etc would have to be thrown out or converted to the new standard. Is this acceptable? To some...maybe...to others no.

As to LS being an app that requires "coding" knowledge...you would be partially write, but mostly wrong. While a theme does require a text based configuration, no actual programming code is required for a theme to be built. I will also concede though, that if you want a really cool theme...you need some sort of scripting. While some of the settings may be cryptic, they are in the end just settings.

Personally...I wish I lived near some of you so that I could sit down and understand where the confusion lies. But unfortunately for me...I only live near deuce_. :( If someone wants to email me so we can sit down and talk via IM or IRC...I am more than happy to explain the "coding" of an LS theme. That said, questions like "Tell me everything you know!" will go unanswered. I have sat in #LiteStep on different occasions over the years and rarely seen an LS problem discussed. Things might have changed since my last stint in there, but I doubt it. Resources are out there for actual real-time help...you just need to use them wisely.