Different strokes. I personally found FF7's opening to be ideal BECAUSE it's engaging and throws you into the thick of things. You learn just by experimenting. No one I've ever spoken to has had this complaint before, they've mostly agreed that the action-packed start makes the game's age easier to circumvent and immerse you in the experience. If the difficulty was high in the opening, I'd agree with you, but you basically can't lose because the enemies suck, so learning is easy.
I actually think the game holds your hand TOO much and my only gripe with it is that I want it to be more difficult. And I'm not alone because numerous mods exist for just such a purpose.
But I won't judge your opinion needlessly, people are entitled to feel as they'd like
. Quest 64 was one of the worst games I ever played and I thought that game's design was the most asinine I'd ever seen, with the element system being lopsided and the grinding and battles being awful in execution, plus the bland as white bread story. But judging from your profile pic, you're a fan, and that's ok! Agree to disagree and such.
And yes FF8 has a terrible system. Broke an otherwise stellar game.