in a finger, by "joint 1" I mean the first section of the finger, between the hand and the knuckle. thus, each finger has three joints, but only the one next to the hand can move side-to-side. the typical reason is for finger-spreading. as to rotation, no worries there, as human fingers can't rotate actively, nor can they do the various strange poser motions (offset). the first joint can bend independently of the outer two joints, but if one bends either outer joint, then the other is constrained to bend by a similar amount. hence, allow bending and slight side-to-side in finger joint 1, bending only in finger joints 2 and 3, and no rotation in any finger joint, excepting the thumb, which will cause problems similar to gimbal lock. as you noted, twisting the hand is done at the elbow, as the wrist construction precludes bending. and I agree with you - the simpler the controls, the better.