This is a great metaphor for software. There is diminishing returns to refactoring and elegance. Sometimes the open source community goes too far (ever try submitting patches to big OSS projects.. Some are ridiculously picky with minor details like code style.)

Code style is extremely important. A lack of consistency with existing code makes both the new and old code harder to work with in the future. And neglecting to maintain a consistent coding style often indicates neglect in other areas, such as correctness and robustness.