Quote - They haven't put 2.50 into live production yet, have they ? (i.e. that's still a beta as well, correct?)

2.50 was the original Alpha version, 2.52 was the second Alpha version and 2.53 is the first Beta version. If you are still trying out 2.50 I suggest getting the latest as there is much more functionality in it. For some reason though the 64 bit vers takes a lot longer to load and crashes more often than the 32 bit.

Although I have primarily used Blender for modeling, the new interface has actually encouraged me to delve into the other aspects of the program. Whereas previously it took longer to find the panels to set the parameters than to do what you wanted, everything is now put together much more logically. No shorthand for the buttons for example is just one area that has made things easier throughout.