Nice article. Great UIs are definitely needed, but also simple ways for new users ("normies") to join. Hope @ned includes that in his thinking.
So far, I agree we're well off with Busy and @steempeak, so it at least should have a different focus.
I can't imagine, however, that a lot of developers who are currently building for Ethereum are actually waiting for SMTs. They aren't a replacement for full-fledged smart contracts, and if people really looked for a "zero-fee" alternative, they now have EOS. In addition, I haven't yet seen a final spec for SMTs, so at least to me it's unclear whether they will have such a huge impact on Steem adoption. Having said that, it's probably a totally different story for Steem-based DApps like @dtube, for whom it must be a huge pain to have to wait another half year. But okay, we'll all make it until then ;-)
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You bring up very good points. Although, while not known by many, there are now smart contracts on a sidechain that was created. I doubt any of the ETH developers know that so your point still holds.
We will see what ends up on here and how much word spreads. Right now, a lot in flux but, seemingly, moving in the right direction.