I feel the same way that removing the triple sucked.
- Bike companies wanted to change things to give the appearance of progress and the need to buy new stuff.
- Low end triples were poorly made and often didn't shift well giving the impression it was a problem with the triple.
- It probably saved some tiny amount of weight for the gram-sensitive racers.
It's always been awkward for me though. Like you said, with the triple you can just leave it in the center gear most of the time and it was decent. Single if nicer for shifting but a bit more limited for a wide range of gears with good spacing. Double is just...awkward. It works, obviously, but takes a lot more mental effort to track what front ring I'm in and if I need to shift.