I loved the junction system once I figured it out - its a great way to improve character's stats. Sure, it made me not want to use magic, but in general, the GF attacks were so powerful that I really didn't rely on magic much anyway. For instance, not using Full-Lifes wasn't much to ask for giving Rinoa 9999 HP, especially when commands like "Revive" and "Recover" were available for free.

I think that most people who hate the junction system believe that it made the game too easy; they didn't like the fact that their characters could be rendered nearly invinciable. However, I see that as a choice - the junction system isn't required to beat the game; no one forces you to summon GFs or junction magic to your stats. That's probably what I like most about it - unlike other FFs which force you to use the game's system if you want to get more difficult spells and attacks, the junction system works completely independently, helping you only as much as you wish it to.