Thomas, despite assertions by some that this discussion was a waste of time, I've learned quite a few things from it. It seems immediately clear to me that Linq has a brilliant future in NET, largely for reasons you describe. Not everybody agrees but I guess that's normal in the rich tapestry of life. ;-) Anyway now I'm into open source, asking similar questions and examining the status quo. What fun.
"... They ne'er cared for us
yet: suffer us to famish, and their store-houses
crammed with grain; make edicts for usury, to
support usurers; repeal daily any wholesome act
established against the rich, and provide more
piercing statutes daily, to chain up and restrain
the poor. If the wars eat us not up, they will; and
there's all the love they bear us."
-- Shakespeare: Coriolanus, Act 1, scene 1