Again, options for basic color schemes and all are fine, but at one point the theme would get super-bloated and result in really slow loading website

Not too long ago, as a WordPress user who wanted to tweak their own stuff, you were expected to learn the fundamentals. Now there seems to be a consensus that you shouldn’t have to learn in order to make decisions about your site.

Frameworks are the in-between. They offer non-developers the chance to add all the point-and-click stuff for the ‘users’ without needing to understand it yourself.

This is how many other industries have worked for a long time, televisions have long been badged up, many cars are built on the same chasis, and I am sure we have all had cable modems badged by the ISP. They make themes into a commodity to buy, brand, and sell, and will meet a need just a certainly as a mid-range Ford.

There will still be Bentley and there will still be Skoda.

I also agree that frameworks make it more difficult for users who can modify things themselves. The question is, if they want to do that why are they using a framework?

Take WPUnlimited for instance … if an advanced user wanted to start hacking up the core files, moving stuff around, removing things, etc., there’s a good chance most of the features you built into the theme will be broken and/or obsolete in his final creation.

We’re at an impass — there are 3 types of themes out there, as far as I can see:

1. The framework
2. The traditional theme
3. The Point-and-Click

Each one appeals to a different kind of person. I think, however, there is probably room for all 3, though I do believe one will eventually come out as dominant in the market.