[pmccool]

> Non-programmers don’t care about the aesthetics of software in the same way non-plumbers don’t care about the aesthetics of plumbing

I myself think the problem is precisely the opposite: people do care about the aesthetics of plumbing, and of programming. They just care about it in ways that have nothing do to with how well it works. We, as consumers, care far too much about "pretty" and far too little about "effective".

Well-crafted anything doesn't necessarily stand out, IME. It just works. This is an admirable trait, but it can't seem to compete with "beautiful". It's a shame that making things that work well is somehow less admirable that making things that look nice.