Originally Posted by Rolla

Concave washers and barrel adjusters?! Oh, the complexity!

Just to be clear, I'm not arguing against hydraulic brakes. But to describe setting up cantilevers as though it's some kind of Gordian knot is either a vast overstatement or an unflattering glimpse of your mechanical abilities.
At any rate, just like hydros, it's certainly not "beyond the reach" of a shop mechanic, or "a specialized thing that only certain shops or mechanics can do."