Common issues with DC based skill systems

[icefractal]

So what would you consider an example of an RPG with a significantly better skill system? Because I'm thinking about those I've seen, and most I'd just call "fine" - they're unobjectionable, they work, but they're not some quantum leap over the D&D 3.x one.

Obviously some of this comes down to preference. Many people love player-defined skills / backgrounds, like 13A uses IIRC. But personally - I don't. I don't enjoy negotiating/begging/demanding when I'm just doing basic things like making skill rolls. So I'd much rather have it settled what my skills apply to rather than hash it out each time it comes up, and being able to decide "I'll take some ranks in Bluff" and know that's ok, vs worrying about "If I say that 'Secret Agent' includes being able to hack computers, is that too much?"