Trying to see what you mean, adam...

This is what the "Quick Reply" WYSIWYG bar should look like:


and this is what the full one should look like (when you "go advanced from a quick reply, or post a new thread/reply to one):


If you hover over the buttons/icons it should give you a tool tip as well.

On the no posting, I figure it's doldrums and the proliferation of personal easy to use blogs for people to post their stories on their "own" site rather than software, but who knows.

Are those images what you see when posting?