Bernd, DF2ZC, one of my alter egos, has got it pretty well spot on.

However I would like to add a few further comments. 

JT65 significantly changed VHF EME by lowering the entry requirements for smaller stations.

FT8 on EME will be a huge retrograde step as smaller 50 & 144MHz stations invariably have higher noise floors and we are more than likely to see a 6-10dB decrease in the possible number of QSOs even for larger stations. Despite Joe?s comments very few total QSOs will result. This can be seen from how faster sequences as the /2 modes (JT65B2 etc) fared when they failed to be used and then got consigned to the history books. 

What has made JT65 EME on 144MHz move forward is the advent of MAP65. This allows stations to spread out which is pretty essential in the crowded parts of NW Europe. I can often see 20% of the 144MHz EME stations active at any one time on 144MHz by their terrestrial signals! With the LiveCQ web site created by Rene, PA9RX this wide frequency view off the moon is available to beginners without SDR capability. 

As Bernd has commented, and indeed spectrum regulators hostile to amateur radio have observed, huge numbers of amateurs sitting in a 2.5KHz channels or ghettos, is a serious threat to us keeping some of the VHF/UHF spectrum that we currently have. That is not withstanding the ?Tower of Babel? syndrome where it becomes impossible to complete a digital QSO on many of these frequencies as a result of amateur ?noise?.  It took me over 5 minutes to complete a 144MHz FT8 QSO with EA8CXN (only 3035Km and +6dB) this morning due to noise from those who do not respect the IARU R1 operating sequence conventions. Fortunately I then worked EA8TX (3050Km) in 20 seconds on SSB ? 

The long term answer to digital narrowband VHF/UHF modes must be to spread out operation and use SDR techniques such as CW skimmer and MAP65 and not to go backwards into channelized slots for ?appliance operators?.  

John G4SWX