Frenchy
Prolific Poster
Have you tried the latest version of blender (Blender 2.5/2.5) The UI has had a major overhaul and loads of new features have been added.
I have, but its still nothing compared to max. While I think the features in blender are great, particle, cloth and flow are particularly good for an opensource program, the UI is still crap even on the newest one lol.