If you are really a big holder such that you can't sell without crushing the market below $1 (easily thousands of SBD can be sold >$1 though, just not instantly) and you care about this you can manage to figure out how to use the CLI or it can be done with steemconnect (which amounts to putting the request in a web link and typing it or copying it into your browser; I believe there are some posts explaining how to do this).
Bear in mind that the UI in no way supports the entire range of Steem blockchain features. For example, withdraw routes are another feature that can only be done using the CLI (or steemconnect). Or creating accounts, or fill-or-kill market orders, or several other things. Once SMTs arrive there will likely be a lot of SMT functionality that can't be accessed via the web site. I think its okay that the web UI provides basic functionality and to do the rest you have to use some other tool.
paying brokerage
You mean slippage maybe? Because if you trade on the internal market there are no fees. You can only trade for STEEM, but that's what you get if you were to convert anyway.
I agree with you on a) but in practice there seems to be a problem with walking and chewing gum at the same time around here.
Okay, Sorry but I just have to ask, this conversion function that some of these people want to come back, is this the same conversion that took 3 1/5 days to convert SBD to steem? If so I, as a non-crypto person thinks it should stay gone. the internal market does the same thing only faster.
Yes that is the function they are talking about.
I hope they do not bring it back, after @everittdmickey explained the internal market, It was a big boon to me. So thank you for trying to keep things clear.
Nice