I share most of these sentiments, but I also don't know how much of this is my own wistful "those were the days..." sentimentality and how much of it is based on a those old Us being actually easier to use in practice.
As far as usability, I do think computers have become easier for non-experts to use, especially for basic tasks. I definitely remember helping some very confused people being completely overwhelmed by what to click on, what deeply nested menu was needed, etc., when just trying to browse the web or check their email. Those basic workflows have gotten better.
In many ways I think modern interfaces are more about mobile first, touch based influences, and moving away from keyboard and multi-button mouse based interfaces. Stripping things down to the very basics is almost required now, given the devices people use. You can't "middle click to paste" on an iPad.
It's entirely possible for a GUI to be simple and consistent for all normal actions and also have non-obvious shortcuts for people who want to invest the time.
It's even better when the non-obvious shortcuts are documented and standardized so that you don't have to relearn them for each application.
As far as usability, I do think computers have become easier for non-experts to use, especially for basic tasks. I definitely remember helping some very confused people being completely overwhelmed by what to click on, what deeply nested menu was needed, etc., when just trying to browse the web or check their email. Those basic workflows have gotten better.
In many ways I think modern interfaces are more about mobile first, touch based influences, and moving away from keyboard and multi-button mouse based interfaces. Stripping things down to the very basics is almost required now, given the devices people use. You can't "middle click to paste" on an iPad.