Why is AE so clunky?

Why is After Effects so complex and downright unintuititive compared to Sony Vegas? As a long time user of Vegas I'm finding AE really hard to learn. Today, I spent literally an hour trying to figure out how to put 3 clips in sequence without overlapping, and I still don't know. It's ridiculous how the whole thing is. The RAM preview thing, the audio only preview... why are they even there? Why do I have to actually load the composition onto my RAM? I can literally do exactly that in Vegas without having this 'render' crap. And the bugs? So amny. Random frames jumping in wherever they feel like it, no autosaeve without crerating about 20 different files... why is AE such a cluster of bad options, glitches, and odd controls? The only reason I use it is for Twixtor, and even then it annoys me to no end. Why is it like this?

Because After Effects is a compositing and motion graphics app and not a NLE. NLE's use entirely different mechanisms to playback and render video.
If you want Photoshop (unlimited layering ability) and unlimited combinations of mathematical functions to perform on video then, with any compositing program, you have to deal with loading the layers of pixels into memory, performing complex calculations, and spitting out the results. If you want to lay three clips in sequence then drop the clips into the timeline, select them all, and then use the keyframe assistant to sequence the layers.
If that's all you are going to do, use Vegas, but if you're going to combine other computer generated imagry, other video, or graphics elements into those shots with more finesse than a simple alpha channel key or blending mode, then learn to use After Effects. Once you catch on to the idea of layered composits (like a Photoshop expert, not hobbiest but real expert) then After Effects is intuitive and easy to use. You will get results that are impossible to achieve in a NLE. If the best compositing you require is akin to the keying you see in a local news broadcast then stick with your NLE. It will do just fine for most video projects.
Master carpentry required to build fine cabinetry takes more skill and more time than framing a wall for sheetrock and spray texture. The art of fine compositing and motion graphics are no different. The only way to go faster with today's technology is to spend significantly more money on software and hardware.

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    >
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    It Just Works
    ========
      The system is ready.to.go after the base install and some basic configuration.  This sounds like a no brainer, but unfortunately this is not the case with some other distributions.  Setting up a wireless card in Arch (and Slackware) is as simple as make, make install and modprobe.  Some distributions don't seem to install the kernel source and headers as part of the basic install or it gets broken after an upgrade.  Based on my limited knowledge, the installer should provide all networking tools and all files and programs needed to compile programs or modules unless the user is given a chance to opt out.  I just felt like I was in a catch-22 situation in a couple of distributions. Its frustrating when you have a working Internet connection during the install but do not have the necessary tools after a reboot.  Upgrades to a newer kernel have not caused any problems for me. If Arch was a car, people would talk about its great fit and finish.
    System defaults to console login.
    ====================
      This is a personal preference, but the inittab file makes it very easy to switch to Run Level 5 if desired.  The inittab and xinit files are not nearly as clear in some distributions.
    PACMAN 
    ======
    Fast, reliable and stable with a good repository.  I'm curious if pacman just means package manager or if its a unix pun referring to the game as well.
    Fast, Responsive and Reliable System with a quick boot.
    ===================================
       System Hiccups seem to be pretty rare.  Arch provides a fast system without the
    hassle. 
    Great Web Page and Wiki's with a good community.
    ===============================
      The web page, like the installer is very well laid out.  Finding what you want is easy and only requires a click or two.  The page is pleasant to look at without any of that "eye-candy" krap slowing it down or masking  what you really want.   Obviously there is a trend in my comments concerning substance over form.
    The Bad and not so Pretty
    ================
      The default xorg and desktop manager settings makes it hard to read without some tweaking and font selections.  This is not a big deal, but other distributions provide a better out of the box 'X' desktop.  Its possible this problem is specific to my machine (or me).
      If I were 35 years younger and my IQ was 35 points higher, Arch would be the distribution I would like to create.  This would not be a compliment if so many people did not feel the same way.   If I was distro hopping, my search would have been over a long time ago, unfortunately my distro curiosity will continue to find more reasons why Arch is so good. 
    PS:  I hesitated posting the above comments since it did not add anything new, but after seeing some of the threads, especially the newbie friendly vs. the user friendly, I had to cast my vote for what makes Arch so great.  Arch is not that hard to use for anyone willing to take a few minutes to learn "The Arch Way".  Arch has already done the hard work by creating great wiki's and helpful configuration files. 
    One of the help files even gave the reasons why things were done.  Learning steps is OK, but understanding whats being done is important and fun.
      People coming to Arch should not expect it to be Ubuntu.  Ubuntu is great, but it already exists!  As a newbie, I really resent SOME newbies wanting Arch to be more like Ubuntu.  I even saw a post on an Ubuntu forum suggesting that they change directory names to things like "program files".  I could go on, but I would just be ranting (raving). Long live the text installer and base install only!
    Keep up the Great Work!
    Larry   
      Please forgive my not so good English, Brueklineese is my native tongue.

    bji wrote:
    Stythys wrote:
    wait...english is not your first language?
    never would have guessed xD
    I've seen native speakers write worse, hehe
    Brueklineese -> Brooklynese -> Native English
    It was just a joke about how the author is from Brooklyn so he doesn't expect everyone to be able to understand him
    By the way, I agree with the original poster about just about everything.  I'm a Linux veteran having used it as my primary OS since Yggdrasil in 1994.  And Arch suits my tastes very, very well.
    OK youse guys, you caught me.  I apologize for making such a bad New York centric joke, especially considering how many of this great community do not come from the Untied States, including Judd Vinet and many other current and former developers.  Although I strive for a "KISS" style of writing, I find that I'm much too wordy and clunky, which is why I threw that in at the end.  The Brueklineese part was a reference to the old Dutch spelling of what was latter to become Brooklyn New York.
    I actually wrote the post 3 weeks ago, but never sent it because it was too wordy and did bring anything new to the Arch threads.  After seeing some of the posts over the past month I felt compelled to cast "my vote" for why I like Arch so much and what makes it so special and unique.  Hopefully Arch continues to stay true to its heritage and core principles. .
      Hopefully a diversion is good once  in a while.
      Larry

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