Wouldn't it be nice if a new Nikon DSLR came out and your raw conversion software understood it and your workflow didn't change? Well, assuming you're keeping up with updates on your software products, that actually will happen this time around. Capture NX, Adobe ACR, Adobe Lightroom, and dcraw already support the D3 and D300 NEF formats, and from messages I've received from the vendors, it appears that most of the other converters will release updates pretty much coincident with the release of the new cameras.
That's a much a different story than what happened with either the D2x or D200 release, so perhaps we're making progress. Still, a cynic might say that this converter availability exists merely because the cameras were pre-announced so early, giving the software vendors more time to adjust. Perhaps, but Nikon's willingness to let NEF samples be taken early indicates a slightly different attitude on Nikon's part than before, and one that has encouraged the word-of-mouth and third party support to build up prior to actual delivery of the products.
Many other Nikon DSLR product launches would get a failing grade from me. The D3 and D300 ones get a solid B- (yes, there's still a lot they didn't get exactly right, but this is a big step forward from the D2h and D2x disasters).
So rejoice in the fact that we'll be able to try multiple raw converters with our first D3 and D300 images and even use our established workflows with those images. Let's hope this reflects a long-term change in attitude by Nikon towards the loyal community that uses their products. I was a little tired of Nikon moving my cheese for no good reason every time they launched a new camera. (For my International readers who might not catch the reference: there's a popular book in the US about dealing with change called Who Moved my Cheese?)