Thanks! I agree with most of this too.
I would add that any test nets created and any test data should be made available publicly too - or at least for the access of all other witnesses - so that all can test and review. I think a website hub for this purpose is needed. The funds paid out to top 20 witnesses alone can easily cover the development of this - but steemit inc. should also have the funds to cover the cost without issue.
One thing that became obvious to me after completing my degree in system engineering/architecture a long time ago is that only the most 'serious' software companies actually use the formal design and testing structures that I learned at university. The banking sector tends to do this and I think that given that cryptocurrency aims in some ways to be a challenge to mainstream banking - despite the anarcho tendencies involved - people need to learn to use and value formal documentation and development/testing protocols. There really isn't a practical way to get good results without them. The downside is that this slows everything down considerably - but the upside is that things actually work as intended. In my opinion, we need more qualified people involved, including technical writers and, in fact, entire layers of support that appear to be missing from this complex distributed network of people. I don't think this kind of awkward, non communicative approach to this development can last much longer - if only because of loss of confidence and increasing capability in the competition.
Agree! Steem is two and a half years old now, it shouldn't be this way.