One of our FOs flew them as an active duty (US) Navy pilot, and went overseas a number of times. He described the same frustrating extra limitations on the airframe, and also claimed that the cockpit pilot seats are some of the most uncomfortable such seats he has ever sat on. He was surprised by numerous disappointments, and wondered if Boeing was under severe pressure to design these newer types, with the foreign, government-subsidized competition breathing down its neck.
If the 737NG is on emergency power, does it also have engine-driven hydraulic pumps, with a RAT which extends with double engine-flameouts, and can provide (center?) hydraulic pressure for primary flight controls, as with the 757? I would still prefer the concept of a 737's conventional flight controls to that of a plane which needs on-line computers to safely fly, but will never get to choose between the two types of planes, as a replacement for our old narrow bodies. The 727s here will soon be gone, except for athletic charters.