Yea I think more good then bad came out of the mix, my favorite being the increased content rate. It's really nice to have a new codex every other month. I was originally impartial to dataslates, but if they're going to release subpar codices just to say "dont worry, we have a dataslate$ to fix it" then it becomes a problem. I don't really have a problem with LoW or Forts, but I can see why some people would want it to be separated, if for no other reason that they don't want to have to run out and buy a $500 titan just to be competitive.
I think the tip of the recent outrage iceberg was the new Tyranids, so much lost opportunity. They took away rulebook powers, drop pods, characters, units like Yrymral genestealers, didn't add a unit with skyfire like every other codex, didn't add old biomorphs, etc. A lot was either taken away or left out for no reason, which is where the bulk of the frustration is coming from in my opinion.
I still think GW makes the best rules, models and fluff compared to any other company. The Fantasy fluff is really good too, I love reading about Sigmar, Magnus the Pious, and pretty much all the elf factions. Just wish they had more creative developers.