Considering the amount of errata (much of which are really outright changes to the rules rather than corrections) that has come out for 4e to date, and comparing that to what was done in 3e/3.5e transition, I think it's high time we started referring to D&D as 4.5e now.
I am also a fan of the errata, though I do hope they tone it down seriously for the essential line, like a tenth of what it is now. Right now, anyone who tries to keep up with it, or even worse, starts reading it in a few months, especially without DDI, is in for a slog.
I have mostly kept up with it, though I would have to go back and check if I were making a new character. But someone new, without 25+ years of D&D behind them ? ..... I pity them.
Normal people don't know about errata. Despite their ability to use Facebook and Google, they are not that savvy.
Err...
No, the D&D Essentials line goes beyond that.
The D&D Basic Set is levels 1-3. That's the first product in the Essentials line.
Everything else is levels 1-30.
Basically, you can get into D&D 4e by either buying the Player's Handbook, DMG and Monster Manual... or you could go the Essentials route with the Basic Set, Rules Compendium, Monster Vault and Heroes of the Fallen Lands.
Cheers!
Did video kill the radio star? No, and I think that applies here to errata killing the Essentials Line - besides, they stated in the last errata that we can expect a decrease in errata in the coming months which seems to coincide with the Essentials Line release.
I think the DDI has definitely effected how well received the errata and corrections are received.
Normally having over 100 pages of errata would kill an RPG, at least on the internet. Still, like other posters have mentioned with the errata that is there, if you don't know it exists, the game plays well anyways.
So between the DDI and the fact most errata is not noticeably needed allows for it to be received better than it otherwise would be.
IMO and all of that.