Good point

That's not the problem with SP, it's a problem with fundamental game design. Eve has lots of skills that give "Hard bonuses" like damage and optimal range. These are fine because low skill characters without those trained up have safe places to do their thing, like PVE missions and such. True matchmaking would help out greatly with this. But skills should definitely confer a bonus, up to and including raw damage. If you've invested the SP, you should gain an advantage, plain and simple.

I will say this though, that it can definitely cause an imbalance if the skills are too powerful. But giving flat nerfs and returning them through skills, gives CCP a way to more easily adjust things.

Let's take large railguns again. As mentioned before, give a flat 15% nerf and return it through 3% per level of operation. Now CCP thinks this is too much, and wants to tone it down. Now they can either a. adjust railgun damage directly or b. reduce how much the skill gives, like to 2% instead. This can complicate things y having many variables, but it also allows more fine tuned tweaking to happen.

I totally agree with you.

You want hard bonuses?
Those are called higher tier equipment. Run proto if you want more damage.
Skills should give soft bonuses. Otherwise you have proto stompers that not only run proto, but also get massive skill gains.
That issue already exists, as most of the tanking module skills increase the strength of their associated modules, but this would make it even worse.

However, I really wish the pure unlock skills would grant actual bonuses. There should be a point to level dropsuit command, basic dropsuits or HAV/LAV/DS operation to level 5.

your ideas only serve to undermine the beauty and uniqueness of the skillbook system and tree this game uses...

I agree with the OP... the new eden experience is all about reward for investment. using skillbooks as part of the plan for balancing is a no brainer. unlocking skills should be mandatory if you want to have something powerful in this game. a new player vs a vet should never even come into question, because if you try to balance based on this it makes investment pointless.

if there were proper matchmaking that wouldn't even be an issue. balancing should be viewed from equal tiers, and skillbooks are an important part of doing this.