really bad wiring jobs

Egads.. I'm no cable installer, but those people that did that didn't even try to make anything neat-n-tidy..

Defend the indefensible?

As with everything, there are two sides to the story. And the non-obvious one is usually more insightful.

On a very fundamental electromagnetic basis, neat is bad for communications wiring. Parallel conductors crosstalk. I'd expect this was a major concern for Cray-1.

On an equally fundamental economic basis, maintenance is more expensive and messier than new construction. Most of the "bad examples" weren't constructed that way, but got that way over time and required changes.

Neat systems aren't necessarily more maintainable. Wires are bundled and dressed short. Have to be cut and abandoned. WHat really matters is good labelling at all ends.

An old-timer told me the mess in telco closets was to keep all the mess in one spot. There will be mess. Change makes it. You'd rather field crossovers? If it ever gets so bad that someone is willing to pay for neatness, you just get/make the map and tear out all the crossconnect. My kids were young, and I just though of Maria Montessori's "A creative mess is better than tidy idleness."

-- Robert