their new widgets system screams KDE4
as in the default ui look of the widgets, you might as well just use kde4.

the completely different look of the widgets in e16 doesn't scream bloatware visually.

then add that e17 adds yet another set of background services.

the biggest fatal error of all the desktop environments, to many DIFFERENT background services that must be installed, and if you use the desktop at all they get started up.
ohh, say you looking at 7 different ones, without shutting down and restarting X.
7 difference rpc mechanisms running.
7 different sound systems running
.....
[ ad nauseum ]

pull your heads out of your butts and get together so it is only 1 of each for the freedesktop, not one for each desktop environment.

edit to add:

and oddly, E17's sound subsystem esound, seems to only work right if KDE4's sound subsystem is RUNNING.

sorry, but requiring ANYTHING from that garbage KDE4 is idiocy.