1. I think the on-boarding process to an app is probably more crucial the app itself. This is purely anecdotal, but as an early adopter whenever I go through the trouble of downloading an app which greets me with “Create An Account”, I'm almost always immediately turned off. In some cases I've just excited the app and hit un-install. The last thing I need is another account, with a service I may not use for more than 15mins.

I think the best process is to give users a feel for your product without an account being necessary. Maybe it's just in READ mode with the ability to WRITE enabled upon signup. Or just simply ask for an email address which is then used as a unique identifier for your account. Oink did this awhile back.

2. I think the Facebook hate is miss-placed. Do you really hate Facebook (provider of a tool) or those who spam you via Facebook (users of the tool)? If you're so worried about Facebook tracking you offsite, why have an account at all? They're in the business of collecting, optimizing, and monetizing the social graph. If their platform has more 'cons' than 'pros' I think you should ditch it and keep your tin foil hat on. I myself use it, with my tin foil hat on, but don't go through the hoops to block it as some of you are doing.