I'm beginning to get the idea that "It just works!" has so infiltrated Apple's thinking that they've begun to believe it...forgotten that tag lines are for the marks...that believing them yourself is the first step down the road to nowhere.
I think that Apple simply understands that they must cater to the largest group. That group bought Mac because they wanted to get away from having to learn more about their computers than they wanted, which included inputting arcane commands in order for it to work.
Allow me an analogy. People used to have cars with standard transmissions, having to clutch and shift for the car to proceed (Think: arcane commands). Then along came the automatic transmission and a large number of people, now absolutely the majority, decided that the automatic was much better.
The largest number of Mac owners just want to "put it in D and drive". I think Apple wants to be sure that, if an owner is going to add something to their Mac, it is installed and works in a fashion that facilitates continuation of the Mac experience.
I wish ryck and those with similar attitudes good luck, but their's is not the route I'll take unless I'm dragged, kicking and screaming.
Both pre and post the automatic transmission, there were people who liked to tinker under the hood. It's the same with the Mac - lots of people want to know what's going on in the background, and Apple does a lot to cater to that group as well. And, people like me are glad there's a site like FTM where the folks who know what goes on "under the hood" share their knowledge.
ryck
