Jack,
Thanks for the informative review on Bodhi Linux. As a user of Bodhi for a few months now, I feel compelled to clarify a few things:
a) You say "...all of these apps are but a click away, thanks to the Synaptic package manager." Well, it's even easier than that! Check out http://software.bodhilinux.com where you will find gobs of applications neatly organized (unlike with Synaptic where you often have to know the name of an application to be able to find it) with full descriptions. And the best part: each package has an "Install Now" button that immediately installs the application, and also a "Download" button which is a nifty little package that includes the application and of all of its dependencies. That way you can install it later or on another machine (one with slow or no internet connection for example). Similarly, http://art.bodhilinux.com has tons of themes, wallpapers, and icons that are just as easy to peruse and install.
b) And when you say, "Is Bodhi Linux a good distribution for new users? Probably not. Because it requires a little post-installation work to be useful." The Bodhi Linux team has addressed new user's needs with the inclusion of a Quickstart Guide. It's a HTML doc that is installed on the users drive and set as the default browser home page, but is also online at http://www.bodhilinux.com/quickstart. In it you find directions on installing software from the Add Software site, a basic E17 guide, basic instructions on connecting to the internet, and so on. (I keep saying "basic" because it IS a quickstart, not full documentation). There's also links to find more information on all of these topics.

It's funny, because I think your experience and familiarity with E17 is what caused you to miss those things because you just dove straight in. Hopefully new users will go at a little slower pace and notice them, and the readers of this article will have a "heads up" about them now too.

Keep an eye out for Bodhi 1.0.0 Stable, scheduled for this coming weekend (26 March)!!

cheers!