It sounds to me like you are primed to accept the "Worse is Better" ideology. See "Worse is Better" for more on that.

For what it is worth, I don't buy the "Worse is Better" ideology. I just think you are biting off too much in the first round. I think "Worse is Better" goes too far the other direction and all you need is some pragmatism and self control. (:

I also don't see this as a necessary problem of open source. Your problem is just trying to spin too many plates at once (at least this early in the project). Sure, some manager could tell you to focus on "just this" and you'd probably get something working. But why not enjoy the fact that you can tell yourself what part you want to focus on and you'll still get something working.

Just because you don't have a pointy-haired manager looking over your shoulder doesn't mean you don't need some "focus". Be glad that you get to pick the focus, but pick it. :)