I know this is a Cubase comparison to Reaper, but the concepts are still relevant imo.
If reaper's UI looked 'prettier' im sure people wouldn't bash it as much and probably use it more. Unfortunately, these things are sometimes more about the way something looks rather than it's functionality. Aluminum Apple laptops & colorful, curved edges, bright logic go well together xD But I kinda get their point.... Could be the same with Cubase.
If something were more aesthetically pleasing would you work or feel inspired to work more or is it just placebo?
I remember talking about this in a college course. Sometimes you want to use the thing that encourages you to write more and put out more work rather than a functional powerhouse like reaper. But that's not to say people can't do both in Reaper...
You can say "buy your own instruments," but another thing I like in logic and some other Daws is their included instruments and sometimes even effects... I prefer some pro tools fx than other daws and some logic fx than other daws. Even with nice sample libraries and instruments I've purchased, Alchemy & others in logic get me writing music instantly and encourage me to finish tracks quickly (even with templates in other daws), which I can't always say the same with Reaper...
For most advanced MIDI work i prefer reaper over other daws, yet i haven't messed with cubase much, so that's where I'm lacking xD Soon!
- Long time Reaper user, who's used pro tools and logic extensively as well, but still prefers Reaper in many aspects... (6 years).