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Here's the post question, and here's Jason's response:
Hey there Everybody,
As a long time lurker on these boards, I figured it was high time that I made an account and posted.
The Pathfinder RPG is a tricky beast. We have to balance 3.5 compatibility with fixing some problems in the system. While we recognize that we are not going to be able to fix every problem, we were able to make a number of changes to make a GMs job easier. The following points refer to the Beta Playtest edition... I, unfortunately, cannot start talking about the final just yet.
1. We worked to streamline some of the rules systems that often bring games to a screeching halt while the GM has to look up the rules. This namely refers to combat maneuvers (such as bull rush, trip, grapple, etc) and turn undead. In addition, this applies to some of the more problematic spells that are based on these rules, as well as some other spells that have always been a bit of an issue during play.
2. We worked to make prep a bit easier. Although the skills work in a way that is mechanically similar to 3.5, their implementation is quite a bit easier when it comes to making NPCs (no x4 at first level, max ranks equals HD, no cross class double skill cost). What this often means is that you can simple determine the number of skill ranks an NPC gets per level and assign that number of skills a number of ranks equal to HD. It takes a fraction of the time it used too. This is all part of an NPC chapter that contains a number of tricks to speed up NPC creation. We've also made building an encounter quite a bit simpler. In the Pathfinder RPG you determine the XP budget for your encounter and fill it with monster until that budget is reached. No more dealing with the mildly irritating chart. Monsters now have a set XP value based on their CR.
There are a host of other changes that I look forward to previewing in the coming months, but this is really about all I can talk about right now. The playtest for these rules was incredibly extensive and covered many of the issues that folks have brought up in this and other forums. While I am positive that the changes are not going to make 100% of the folks happy, we are working very hard to make a game that lives up to the 3.5 legacy.
Jason Bulmahn
Lead Designer
Paizo Publishing
(And yes Nahualt, these rules did start out as my house rules, but they have grown to a company wide product at this point, with 8 experienced industry pros working on them with over 5,000 playtests... not to get snarky though... I know that I do not have the biggest name recognition quite yet, but I have a bit more experience than just "some guy")
The full thread can be found here.