
Its a matter of expectations. Some put the bar at a fully functional software, such as photoshop, and would inevitably find the free software disappointing. Some look at the bang for the buck ratio, and are likely happy with what they get for free.
Like FamilyGuy, I would be happy if DPP could stitch panoramas. Actually, I would be happy if DxO photolab could stitch panoramas. I use Photoshop for that, and one of the reasons I tried to stitch panoramas with it, and it doesn’t work as well. Which is the point – Canon is a camera manufacturer. Its not in the business of photo editing software, and isn’t competing with Adobe, certainly not with its free offering of DPP.