I think you and I have different perspectives on things. I was a software developer for over 25 years, wrote about a half a million lines of source code in 10 different languages, and I don't have a problem with most of the tools available to me, as a DBA, from Microsoft. I find them to generally be adequate, and in some cases excellent, for everything a senior DBA needs to do.

If you're inclined to further investigate SQL Server Performance Dashboard, this link will provide you with a simple fix that will allow you to execute it on SS2008: http://blogs.technet.com/b/rob/archive/2009/02/18/performance-dashboard-reports-for-sql-server-2008.aspx

LC