You know, it seems like some are hating on Solo mode because it strips them of targets.. You might want to consider how well instancing does or doesn't work. I was 'alone' in Open yesterday and yet System chat was full of traffic and some were obviously instanced together - I was at a burning station.
You can claim that ED is an MMO all you want, I understand, it does kinda look like one. But it's not and was never really intended to be. What it manages to do quite well is capture a certain retro co-op feeling. Want to play alone? Fine, here's the content.. Want to play with others? Also fine, here's some similar, but harder, content.
I only play in Open, even though I'm unlikely to meet anyone out in the black.. That's a choice I made, based on the available options, it was a choice made entirely for personal reasons, I don't give a rats hind end why anyone else is playing. However, I do acknowledge that not everyone plays the same way I do or likes the same things in game that I do, so I'm not going to complain too loudly about most, just a small subsection of a minority group that needs to wander off.