Aha, a UO reference.
Although by now "Trammel" is used the way "Fridge" is used to refer to all refrigerators, not the specific Frigidaire models.
It's become a sort of meme for MMO's.
I played UO, both pre- and post split, and the game radically changed. The Developers did admit after the fact that they had grave misgivings before. But it turned out to be a great IRL economic success as the player base expanded like never before.
The present 3 modes for Elite is fine for me, but it poses board hopping issues with missions, and Powerplay/BGS sabotage that is unopposable. So I guess no perfect option may exist.