Yes, it's true that there is still ways to make money, but it's also undeniable that NQ changed the game pretty significantly, and the introduction of schematics was a hard nerf.
As a solo player, the fun part of this game was mining my own ore and creating my own stuff. Now, the fun part of playing around with different designs, using my own industries to craft my own ships, has been removed and replaced with much grinding and traveling to markets. Perhaps this was always in the designers' visions and plans, so that people "participate" more in the game I suppose, but it does seem like they could have gone a different route, actual introduction of new content, etc. and so it's easy to see people's frustration and disappointment, mine included.