For similar reasons that you state and a few others we have decided to change skinning for the COLLADA 1.4 release.
It has been a sensitive subject that has undergone a lot of debate and discussion but I believe we have come to agree on a definition that all of us find acceptable.
COLLADA 1.4 will be released in the near future. I am confident that you will find the new skinning definition less complicated and more suitable to everbody’s needs.