Actually I think the new table without the footnote is fine. I just see "easy", "medium" and "hard" from the POV of an untrained PC. I can live with specialists not needing to roll for medium difficulties.
I lowered the DCs in KotS too, just not realy doable if you keep them.
I like the new rules. The old ones have been a joke.
"Oh, I am a 6'4" Dragonborn rogue but I can use my Dwarven buddy or a small bush to hide behind. And my pal the warlock could be everywere but certainly not in that patch of darkness in an otherwise brightly lit room."
Think of it this way: the less powerful magic just grabs some magical energy and distorts the natural magical flow and is thus easy to detect. The more powerful effects use the magical flow to it's full effect, riding on it like a surfer on a wave. So they are more subtle and thus harder to...
4ed less options than 3rd? No way!
A few months ago we wanted to do a small mini cmpaign lvl 1-3 PHB only to teach a new player. We were sitting there for hours pouring over the PHB to get halfway decent characters. I.e. I wanted to play a halfling rogue. Yay for me. Miserable in melle because...
I've made the experience in 3e that house-ruling just isn't worth it most of the time, especialy when playing with different groups and DMs. Just let everyone stick to RAW, makes lot of things easier.
While I like the concept of the book, it is (like psionics) a tacked-on sub-system and so of no interest to me. But built into 4e right from the start, it will be awesome.
I don't think it will be forbidden for the rogue to announce that he's searching for traps when he suspects one, meaning he gets a roll or even a take20 if he wants.
I found clerics and wizards unfun because the high amount of pre-adventuring work. Selecting your spells from dozens of choices on each spell level, memorising the descriptions so you don't have to flip open one or more rulebooks with every spell cast, getting always stocked up on scrolls and...