You're right, it's hard to move windows between. But, you can set defaults so that certain apps open in certain spaces. For me, this has been good enough.
Awesome, thank you. Even though I don't necessarily like Spaces, I still use them extensively. No animation makes it better, I have not used application assignments yet (but probably will soon.)
defaults write com.apple.dock workspaces-swoosh-animation-off -bool YES
restart finder. Enable number key navigation.
You're right, it's hard to move windows between. But, you can set defaults so that certain apps open in certain spaces. For me, this has been good enough.