The first experience for new users to the English Wikipedia
Fragment of a discussion from Talk:March 2011 Update
Adding more features means the manuals have to get bigger. Wikipedia is complex because the underlying MediaWiki software is easy to extend with new features. More features = more complexity = raising the hurdle for newbies.
This is not an argument against adding features, merely an observation about complexity resulting from the endless quest for power.
I don't expect people to read a dictionary before they write an essay, and I don't expect people to read a manual before creating an article. Or before doing an update, as in copying a citation format and changing the fields. We learn the cut and paste concept in kindergarten for a reason: it's easy, it's fun, it's fast. ;-)