One of the things about DF is that it gets more and more complicated, so it gets tougher and tougher for new players...well, generally, but at least new players don't have to learn how to set up mechanical floodgate systems for farming anymore. When I got in there was just one z-level, on the right side was a mountain, on the left side was grass. I mean, shit, it was practically Bejeweled back in dem olden days. It's easy to forget how hard it was to learn, and how much harder it is now for brand new players.
For new players: Learning to play DF is an investment. You may have reasons to believe that it is stupid to put hours of work into getting fun out of a video game, such as having important shit to do in real life, or just being of sound mind in general. If you feel compelled to persist, just know that it takes at least 2 to 4 hours of full-on studying and testing before you have any real 'freedom', before you can look at a situation and have some ideas of what to do with it beyond just looking at the wiki. Actually becoming confident with the beast is a matter of dozens of hours. Mastering it is simply not within the realm of possibility.
Really though, watch the tutorials on youtube...they're pretty sweet. Uh, and good luck.