thanks andrew. most problems have workarounds. however the workaround in this case seems needlessly complex when trying to achieve an incredibly simple process with a brand that built itself on the philosophy of 'simplicity' and the camera 'getting out of the way'. that a camera--let alone a $2000 camera--requires a photographer to consult a computer to do zone focused street shooting is imho absurd. other opinions may rightly vary.
The camera has the features Leica wanted it to have. Yes, they could easily have put a scale on it, and chose not to. Why? Who knows, most likely because the lens is still focus-by-wire and probably the distance scale is not linear, which would make an engraved depth of field scale inaccurate at most distances and apertures.
The X1 and X2 had an electronic depth of field scale that appeared on the display when in manual focus mode. That could probably be implemented in firmware, but Leica's software department obviously has other priorities and I wouldn't hold your breath waiting for it.
The simple fact is that the camera lacks a depth of field scale. If a depth of field scale is important to you, you have the wrong camera.
I had an X113 and loved it, though I sold it on to help pay for my M-E. I will probably buy another one before too long as it was a great travel companion for when I didn't want to mess with RF focusing or a bulky DSLR and the lens is simply to die for. I used it in hyperlocal mode all the time, either at f/8 or f/11, and just focused the camera at either 5 feet or infinity. At f/8 I knew things from 1 to 3 meters would be very sharp. At f/11 I used it like a fixed-focus camera and knew that everything from about a meter to infinity would be sharp. Was everything always in critical focus? Nope, but it was always close enough and I never had an issue.
These are fantastic cameras and I really miss mine, but see no reason to fret over a missing feature.