Not to sound out of line here, but no...
Alot of us here right now are seasoned within DB,C,C++,Pascal,VB,Blitz3D ... probably some more, and perhaps we don't know them completely! But just because we're using DBpro doesn't mean we're coding amatures, infact most of us will be relying on that knowlage of other languages to get more out of DBpro than you would think possible.
Basically DBpro now for us is a premade DirectX 8.1 engine which will be improved all the time leaving us to concentrate on more important aspects rather than simply rendering environments and such.
The whole point in the DLL plugin system was so we could edit DBpro to what we need it to be.
As you yourself have come from the DB forums you should understand this fact as well - even though alot of people never saw the potential added to DB when Memblocks and DLL access was given in DarkMatter.
The artists here, if they are new shouldn't be thrown into a single product and told that it is the best. I will probably make my own thread later with all the pros and cons of all of the products i've tried from Softimage to Nendo - really the artist should decide what is best for them.
I think you have missed the point in the free versions of the professional products, they have been released as cutdown - taking out the main confusing stuff from the products leaving them as shell modellers like Milkshape!
I'm not saying that it isn't a great lil product, but understand what i'm saying here is you shouldn't be forcing this one product upon them as they may hate it but feel they have no choice BUT to use it! Kinda like what the games industry is like with Max - you don't know the ammount of artists who actually dispise using the product, but because it is labeled as the "standard" it is there where ever you go!!
Whilst these people still have thier freedom to choose what they use LET THEM - as right now they should be learning 3D and learn to have fun doing it, because if they don't find it fun then no matter what natural talent - they will quit!
[b] New interactive driving system... i like my new blue and black steering wheel

[b]