Poser has been an unique and odd product ever since I used it (my first version was V2 and that was less than complete, least to say :-D). However, this product takes on the complex field of character posing and creation head-on in the 3D industry and is pioneering ( I actually like your comparision with WordPerfect because the resemblance in situation is striking) the interface and handling for this field. It excels in that, but it is far from a solution for all 3D activities and it probably will never be.
I share most of your frustrations but I must acknowledge that this is a very complex material to study. Also it typically creates heavy load for your computer so lockups and slowdowns are expectable (I did not say acceptable, but keep an open mind on the complex task people of CL have taken on them...). You will see this kind of problems on many 3D applications.
I actually think (and hope CL people see the positive reflection rather than threat) Poser needs competition. Expensive tools like 3DS Max should be sold at Poser-like prices, including Character Studio, so a true comparison can start. Competition is the best ground for sensible enrichment of the product.

Finally I highlight one of the comment you made because I think it needs serious reworking (and hope it gets a better treatment in P5): the library subsystem. That one really sucks! What I really want is a project-based approach so it is possible to group everything that makes a Poser project and save this.