We players can "debate" this as long as we like, a fundamental part of the game is being able to swap between solo, private group and open at will, and have all 3 effect the economic data and community goal totals for the entire galaxy.
Elite Dangerous is a networked twitch response (shooter if you prefer) game. I've never played Eve, but my understanding of it is Eve isn't a game played in real time. Elite Dangerous has the same network limitations of a game like Counter Strike has. How many players do you actually have in one game (we could call that an instance) at the same time? Been a while since I played CS but I think 8v8 was max, maybe you can do 16v16 right now, I'd even believe 32v32 but not 128v128. Same goes for team fortress 2, or COD, or whatever real time game you like.
This might seem off topic from the open vs solo discussion, but it isn't.
32 players has been mentioned as the maximum number of players in the same "instance" in Elite Dangerous. Islands seems to be the term used by the developers, and it is different from an instance, but instance is a term that more gamers are familiar with.
If you are in open you can't interact with everyone. You have a maximum of 31 other players. This could be more than all the players in a system at the same time, but not during a community goal. Making everyone play in open wont do what many of the people in this thread want, the ability to not have players "stealth" past them in solo.
Lets say you and 9 people on your friends list want to blockade a community goal station and destroy every trade ship bringing in whatever widgets the cg needs. You can't do that, even if every player is in open. It would be cool if you could, but you cant.
Once you understand the limitation of the "matchmaking" and islands or instances the whole "debate" becomes moot in my opinion.
Just a quick thank you - I've been explaining this since page 3, so have a few others - I gave up around page 150 saying it, as some people just don't get it.
In it's simplest form, yes I am saying that I dislike players bringing their fully upgraded Anaconda's to open. The way they earned the ship changes how they act when in open play with it in ways that I feel are negative. I want open play to be where people play. Not a place for people to only be when they want PVP. In its current state open play is primarily a PVP mode. It lets people defecate where they live, so to speak.
Couple of points;
What you "like" or "dislike" is irrelevant. This is how the game was designed, made, advertised and sold - apart from DB knocking your door, then treating you like an idiot and using small words to describe ED to you. You only have yourself to blame for being part of a game you knew you would not like to start with.
Open Mode was always said to be the place where anything goes, the nutters, crazies, selfish and plain mean (disclaimer = not all open players are like that) - it has always been the case that if you want a set play style, make or join a private group. No one controls open, simple as that - if you don't like it being PvP focused, that is your problem - the only way to try and drive PvP players or the aforementioned crazies is to fight them in PvP..... kinda what they want.
If you want an open world, where you can chill, meet people and not worry about forced PvP - see my sig, you'll be welcomed with open arms