I was going to sit out a version, based on what people had said around here. I'd even bought a copy (at Costco) and returned it, after reading the complaints. Then I found one for sale at a computer show at a steep discount, and decided to try it out after all -- AFTER thoroughly backing-up my data.
I'm happy to say that yes, things have gotten slicker, and bigger, but they've also gotten better. The last release (2000 Deluxe) had some "features" that drove me nuts, and these seem to have been addressed (I like to think because of my ... to Intuit's feedback e-mails). These fixes are enough to justify the upgrade, for me.
Here's a list of what's immediately apparent: The Alt key works properly again. (Alt-F goes to the file menu.) There's an easily-customizable toolbar, to which I added things I had to search endlessly for in the past (e.g., how to pay my mortgagees -- scheduled transactions). There's a "recategorize" feature (which I found in the toolbar customizer) that let me fix up some old data in obsolete categories. (Probably it's been there all along, but I just didn't know about it. I've had that happen before with Quicken!) The help has gotten better but still could use some help. (Example: I'm in a credit card transaction. What does the Ref field hold? Hitting F1 doesn't tell me -- I have to do a search to find out.)
Things they still haven't fixed: Making a loan payment still brings up invisible accounts under the "Choose Loan" list. (Obviously nobody at Intuit ever had their mortgage sold or refinanced. Guess that's what you get when your programmers pay for their houses in cash.) There are still ads for services, masquerading as Quicken features -- and you can't remove them. (Example: "Backup my valuable investment records".) I can't seem to find a "What's new in Quicken 2001" (there are lists for every previous version, though).
I still approach download of transactions with the greatest of caution, having been burned by this software in the past. (It downloaded things I did't understand, and created duplicate transactions. Basically it made a mess. You have to decide: either enter data manually and reconcile to ensure correctness, or abandon reconciliation and correctness and use Quicken as a computer-based bank statement.) The situation is perhaps worst with online brokerage accounts. I haven't tried it yet with this release, to see if there's been an improvement. When I have a spare couple of evenings, perhaps I'll try it. Like maybe when I'm retired. (That's also when I'll explore all those new features they've added. There must be a cast of hundreds working on this stuff. Something for everyone?)
In short, it seems like a decent upgrade. Some annoying problems were fixed. The database remains rock-solid. Undoubtedly many worthy features were added. Are they essential? (How have you gotten by, up 'til now?) Would I have bought it for $..., in retrospect? Sure. Quicken and I spend a lot of time together.
My general advice remains: Stay away from automatic downloads and account updates (automatic ANYTHING) and you'll be okay, at least until the machine really does learn to think for you. Do you REALLY expect an answer when you click on "How should I invest my money?" (I expect it to say, "Upgrade Quicken!")
emely