Disclaimer: This is my opinion, take it for what it's worth.

Why is it that every time there is a major patch, these forums get chocked full of players crying NERF, usually within hours, sometimes even before the patch?

MMOs being the persistent yet frequently changing beasts that they are, change. They change quite often. Especially when one is released in the state that this one was. We all knew that was going to happen, we all know what we were in for when we signed up, especially if you were part of the beta as I was or if you pay any attention at all to reviews.

Why is it that folks cry foul before actually looking for alternatives to the old ways of doing things?

I guess what I wanted to say is this: This game is in a state massive flux, get used to it or leave and come back when things are more stable if you can't handle the inevitable paradigm shifts.