It was hard and required some skill. Thats what made it enjoyable.
It was easy and required less skill than its precursors like Everquest, Ultima Online, and Anarchy Online. That's what made it enjoyable to players under the age of 8. About the only thing at the time requiring less skill and with less difficulty was Asheron's Call.
Sincerely,
Someone who worked around the issue himself, but then got to spend hours via ventrilo and skype helping other players adjust their DNS settings so they could play the game they'd paid for.
P.S. Dear Sony: I would gladly maintain correspondence with your name / hosting providers in exchange for continued all-access membership during such periods.
Stellar rays prove fibbing never pays. Embezzlement is another matter.