The Worse Is Better philosophy is simply iterative design: lay the foundation, erect some walls, and you’ll worry about putting on the roof later. Apple is notorious for doing this. See the iPhone. The one thing I disagree with Richard about is the diamond-like jewel scenario: “To implement it to run fast is either impossible or beyond the capabilities of most implementors.” My intuition says that’s wrong; at least, it’s not right in some cases.