First of all, many cellphone users don't change launchers.

The ones that do understand that launcher and lockscreen are different.

Facebook Home replaces both, and remove some major aspects of the Android UI that most launcher/lockscreen replacements DON'T change: things like getting rid of the notifications bar, changing the lock screen slider, changing the way that you get to apps

It's a very different imagination of how to use your phone. I'm not at all surprised that many people don't understand it and/or don't like it.

How about this... try installing it and then come back and we'll have a discussion about it. I'm a 'power user' by far, far far, but I am pretty good about picking up on barriers to even normal users. They went too far with their 'integration'. This isn't a launcher so much as Facebook deeming to allow you to access your phone applications.

I've installed both the pre-release leak and the one released today on my Nexus 7. Try being less of a condescending "power user" and then we could have a discussion.

Wasn't pushing the power user part to say 'Oh ho ho, I'm qualified to talk here'. I was simply adding it as a caveat that I'm not a 'normal' consumer of these kinds of things.

Given that you have installed it you then saw how much it differs from the traditional android idea of a 'launcher'. It genuinely is hiding it all away. You can see the pathway that Facebook wants to push the users, essentially fully hiding the idea of having on phone contacts and messaging. That's why it's not really a launcher so much as Facebook allowing you access to your phone (IMHO).

lol trying to pull rank on HN on a Friday afternoon... too aggressive.