[pengo]

Call me a freeloader if you wish; I'd welcome the moniker. I use Twitter lists and Tweetdeck's filters to enjoy a firehose-free Twitter experience. I follow accounts from around the world representing a broad range of interests and views, and almost none of the problems listed by the originator of this thread.

Therefore I have to conclude that "the issues of Twitter" experienced by most users are intentional.

I also have to say that should Twitter make the mechanisms I rely on unavailable (definitely a possibility given the new CEO's track record), I will have no option but to leave Twitter. I'm not willing to subject myself to sort of user experience described by the originator of this thread.