I've used LyX extensively and love it. I found that it made typing up lecture notes literally three times as fast. I can't imagine how I could have finished my PhD thesis without it. (Actually I can: with months more spent writing up!)
But I consider it to be a timesaving tool that's more advanced than regular LaTeX. Often you don't need to deal with the fiddly bits, but you still need to understand how they work. Especially if you get a compilation error (er, typesetting error?). They're much rarer with LyX, but because simple problems (e.g. missing brace) are impossible, when you do occasionally get one it's bound to be a doozy! Plus when you need a LaTeX feature that LyX doesn't support natively (rare but inevitable) you still need to know how to write it in LaTeX plus how to use LyX's math macros or modules language if you want to make it seamless.
I think this is why LyX struggles to get a big user base. Beginners end up getting stuck and going back to LaTeX. Advanced users see it and think "I don't need this – I already know LaTeX!"
But I consider it to be a timesaving tool that's more advanced than regular LaTeX. Often you don't need to deal with the fiddly bits, but you still need to understand how they work. Especially if you get a compilation error (er, typesetting error?). They're much rarer with LyX, but because simple problems (e.g. missing brace) are impossible, when you do occasionally get one it's bound to be a doozy! Plus when you need a LaTeX feature that LyX doesn't support natively (rare but inevitable) you still need to know how to write it in LaTeX plus how to use LyX's math macros or modules language if you want to make it seamless.
I think this is why LyX struggles to get a big user base. Beginners end up getting stuck and going back to LaTeX. Advanced users see it and think "I don't need this – I already know LaTeX!"