Hi HMM – I’m coming to agree with this same perspective. As I continue to explore Blocs, I’m also finding a need to learn the basics of coding (HTML, CSS…and just beginning with Javascript)…and the question is ‘why?’
My experience with Blocs so far is that in its simplicity and beauty (and gosh darn is it pretty!!), it ‘feels’ in hand to be stiff and restricting, and this appears to me to be due to it’s foundation of Bootstrap. Of course, as a Muse user, it makes sense that I would feel this way…changing from a freeform canvas to a grid system is going to be like that!
Blocs actually redefines what drag & drop means. It’s not the wysiwyg version of drag & drop like Muse is, but rather is a ‘container’ drag & drop solution, and so it is structural not graphical. This is a huge difference in philosophy and therefore design experience. This is true for the other Framework based tools out there, too!
Classes is an understandable solution to increase (some) flexibility in styling/layout, but this solution adds another kind of project management complexity. To truly do well with classes there needs to be some html & css & Javascript skills in order to avoid the pot holes and frustrations of a bumpy design ride (again coming from Muse), unless one accepts being constrained by the out-of-the box mandated website construction process that favors structure over freedom, and that Blocs does very very well at, and deserves real praise for.
Oddly, as you suggest, if i can master sufficiently html,css/js/php in order to independently control Blocs, then Pinegrow does become more attractive due to its open nature. The question for me is ‘will I sufficiently master’ those coding languages, and if not, then Blocs is an alternative to Muse.
One thought I have (now that I’ve learned about it) is wether or not CSS GRID can be incorporated into Blocs?? This would add more flexibility to layout, which my guess is would change the user experience while designing.
Now, if API does provide what I hope it will, that will be a fantastic step forward, not withstanding your argument of preferring native Blocs-brics, rather then relying on 3rd party creatives. But your concerns could also be a smoother experience in Blocs than it was with Muse if the 3rd party folks and Norm are cozy and well-coordinated.
Time will tell…
As i’ve learned as a former architect, simplicity often takes greater effort to pull off gracefully than the term ‘simplicity’ implies.