I'm sure many film editors saw NLEs as more of a gimmick when they were first introduced.
Speaking for myself only, having first been trained to edit using two tape decks and an edit controller, I found the NLE to be a major advance in the field of editing. Once I got my Avid training, I never went back to linear again.
I don't feel the same about trying to do the work with a touch screen. Rather quite the opposite. Touch interfaces are far more limited than what can be done with a mouse and keyboard. You need them for a tablet, but for a full desktop, touch is more annoying than helpful. (Just look at the backlash MS has taken over Windows 8.)