I may be in the minority here, but I think the price drop may have been the best thing that could have happened. It generated a tremendous amount of interest in what was once a rather exclusive community. As prices dropped, more and more people could join, learn, exchange what they had learned, and influence the rest of the community. It's hard to be afraid of something that's familiar. It's hard to pass a law banning your 10 year old kid's pet. Just my two cents
I think I'll start a thread about this.