This really resonates with me. I focus pretty obsessively on the issues addressed here. It takes me a long time to write code that I'm happy with for exactly this reason. I often feel guilty about this, tweaking working code for aesthetic reasons, justifying it in the name of clarity and maintainability. It's good to hear that others value this quality of balance and taste in code.
The interview mentioned in the article can be found at <a href="http://www.foxprohistory.org/interview_wayne_ratliff.htm" rel="nofollow">http://www.foxprohistory.org/interview_wayne_ratliff.htm</a>