Also, do any 717 knockers here care to make specific comparisons to other 115-125 seat short haul airliners?
Well I am not a 717 knocker, and even if there are a few in the Cobham fleet that may need some cosmetic attention in the cabin, the 717 stacks up pretty well.
On an hourly basis they would be pretty close to an F100, but has 14 or 15 more seats.
On a CASK comparison the 717 also stacks up pretty well. The 717 would be about 10% more expensive than an ERJ 190, but 12% less than an F100.
I can't comment on runway performance, but would guess the F100 and ERJ would be better.