They made that change sometime in 2.x(?) and I doubt they'll walk it back.

Getting into the export flow takes time but I find it to be cleaner.

I think it's annoying and patronizing. When exporting, I have to use the file browser to pick a directory and filename to save, when all I want to do is overwrite the file I have open.

It's a one-time thing per file while Gimp is open. Subsequent exports can be triggered instantly with Ctrl+E or File -> Export (instead of Export As...)