Disagree. Sailfish 1.x with gestures was like giving a screwdriver and screws to somebody that only knows how to use a hammer, to continue your analogy.

Sailfish 2.x seems to be an admission that people are too stupid to use screwdrivers.

There was a learning curve with 1.x but with it came genuine functionality. I used edge swipes and cover actions all the time. I'd quite often use the multi tasking view to refresh email, tweetian and change music without entering each app. It's a real shame that has gone. All for the sake of people who can only operate hammers.

If I was redesigning it, I'd keep the cover actions, use edge swipes for the carousel, ditch the swipe up for apps (I never used swipe up in 1.x) and stick the app grid where they want to stick the partner space (ditch partner space). Also, ditch ambiances for an n9 style pull down top menu with quick access to volume and settings.