I understand your point of view, but consider the flip side from a newbie's:
1.) Forum members who are obviously drastically more knowledgable and seasoned than a newbie can be often hotly debate a variety of issues - jacket BCD vs. BP/W, what size tank to get, to split or not to split (fin), whether A.I. is a desirable and worthwhile feature in a computer, etc… A newbie who wants to make a decision sometime, oh, say, in the next couple of weeks and isn't going to research like he's doing his dissertation on scuba gear can get frustrated. It's like, if people far more advanced than I am can't even agree, how am I supposed to figure out what's right for me?
2.) People post about wishing they'd known about x product before they bought y (again, BP/W vs. Jacket, or getting a good can light up front, or a better dive computer), and they could've saved so much money. A newbie afraid of making a few hundred dollar mistake that could've been avoided by some quick advice wants help.
3.) At some point, escalating information/choice shifts from empowering to paralyzing. I suspect that's one reason BP/W, with it's great customizability, hasn't taken over more of the BCD market quite yet. With a jacket, you put it on. Nobody asks what wing, what wing capacity, whether you want it padded, aluminum or steel back plate, shall we fit you for webbing, etc...
4.) We rely on the contrasting opinions and debate to help appraise newbies about their choices. Some threads where me and another forum regular debate over whether A.I. is a desirable feature in dive computers are an example. This helps avoid the issue you used Grand Cayman site rec.s as an example of; advising only from one's very limited experience.
I don't presume my gear choices are optimal for everybody, or even for me. But for the newbie with glazed over eyes befuddled by the large array of dive computers, for example, it can be helpful to say your main options are console, wrist (watch vs. puck), A.I. or not, look at the Geo 2, VT3 and ProPlus 3, and on the higher end console, the Cobalt 2, Suuntos have a rep. for usability but conservatism limiting bottom times a little, and you can usually get a good buy at ScubaToys but mention you're a ScubaBoard member and see if they still do the discount.
This guy might get a Shearwater Petrel. Or a Suunto or a Sherwood. But at least he's got a rough idea of the representative categories, and a reputable example of each to help compare.
Richard.