To be fair, the author (appears to) work for Canonical who has had success working to make idealistic software more approachable. So it appears to me that he isn't some Ivory Tower FOSS advocate, and is merely stating a personal preference.
"kragen has worked for a variety of companies doing mostly cool things. In early 2006, he pulled up stakes and headed to South America, to begin exploring how he can empower people through technology. And to work on his Spanish."
