Oh good. Just what pprune needs. Another Airbus vs Boeing thread!
I was a Boeing to Airbus convert and I went to the 'bus with an open mind. Much of this topic concentrates on the non moving thrust levers. What pilots need to remember is that they do move - if you move them! One of the things Airbus tell you when you start the course is that the aircraft can be flown like any other. Disengage the A/T, you have conventional thrust levers! And if the A/T is in, you have enough information from the FMAs and the Engine Display to know what is going on. I did miss the thrust levers moving underneath my hand at first, but not for long.
What I did have to do to understand what was happeing was re-educate myself on what the thrust levers were with the A/T in. They are effectively thrust mode switches, much in the same way that THR switch is on the Boeing MCP, except they work in the same way thrust levers usually do and are therefore much more intuitive.
A convert - and happy!
BTW, I never did find anyone who could really explain that Boeing THR button.