It is not a trivial matter to say "show this bar not that bar because I am picky". This, in my opinion, is essential gameplay information. It also draws you into and makes you aware of the gameplay happening around you. For that reason alone, the bars are staying.
They are not ugly, they are functional. They don't have stupid frills around them and dead space, it is pure information, and thats the way they will remain.
A vertical option is in the works, but I have to recode the bar (Valve does not supply a vertical bar...)
I understand it's not that easy making the player select EVERY bar he/she wants to see/not to see, it was just about the new ones.
Maybe it will look better if they are vertical and on the sides - I'm just going to see what you'll do with it.
May I bet you'll have players running around and having no clue what to do nevertheless? :p
Basically because there are too many people who just played CS or CoD prior to GE: S, so they're not all that used to reading and thinking, but only shooting it seems. Often people play L&LD mode and are too lazy to press X, playing it like deathmatch or camping with the AuG and wondering why they can't respawn when Samedi gets them - it's sad.
Another thing, though offtopic, I thought I might just mention along with it: will there be achievements encouraging the newer game modes?
So far it's only these 2 YOLT achievements and some that encourage MWGG (Scaramanga's pride/Shaken but not disturbed) and LTK (Shaken but not disturbed).
It would be nice to have some for L&LD and Living Daylights as well, as there were some ideas floating around in the Beta 4 achievement thread, at least for L&LD.