I'm sorry to hear your experience thus far hasn't been as pleasant as it could/should have been. However, if you're willing to give it another shot, I'm almost certain we can get you up and running. Some of these problems have shown up in the past, and we've almost always have been able to work it out.
Some questions/remarks if you're willing to give it another try:
What environment are you talking about exactly? We've got the online Web IDE, the offline Particle IDE, the Particle-CLI, and potentially completely offline Local builds with your own Make process. Each of these requires a different approach, and each has its pros and cons.
That's the first time I've ever heard about that. Seeing as I've been around for a while, the problem most likely lies elsewhere. Luckily, this can most probably be fixed 
First of all, what operating system are you on? Some may require additional steps. Have you looked through the docs on how to set up the command line (particle-cli)? One of our awesome Elites, @kennethlimcp, made a neat tutorial on how to setup the CLI in Windows. There has been some debugging going on in this topic, including the GIT issue. IT really shouldn't be too hard to fix.
Personally, I think they are very focussed on making the whole experience of creating a product as pleasant as possible. Please keep in mind they are still a start-up, growing, and learning a lot. They've already created some great products, but most importantly, they are committed. They will go out of their way to help you out if you've got issues/problems, and will do everything within their power to help you out. You won't find a lot of companies who will react to forum posts within minutes (you beat me @Dave ;)).
The combination of different set-ups one can have is almost impossible to account for. Different operating systems, programs, experience, etc. make it incredibly hard to make one solid solution. That's why I'm so glad we've got an amazing community, willing to help you iron out the kinks, and get you up and running.
It doesn't have to end here. Consider it a rough start before an amazing journey 
Like I've said before, if you're willing to give it another shot, I'm positive we should be able to help you out. The combined force of Particle, the Elites, and the rest of the community is one to be reckoned with 
Please do no give up yet, you don't know what you're missing out on