Comment by gwd

I don't think the claim is "More warts is better". I think the claim is, "A technology with at least a few warts is an indication of longevity".

Basically, if there are no obvious warts, then either:

1. The designers magically hit upon exactly the right needed solution the very first time, every time, or

2. The designers regularly throw away warty interfaces in favor of cleaner ones.

#1 is possible, but #2 is far more likely.