The un-unix-ness of MacOS.
> the purpose of what iPhoto brings: the idea
> that photos are not just bland "files," but
> objects with inherently special and unique
> properties.
You get that with just a better Finder.
You don't need a special tool for each type of file to achieve that.
In fact you are far better off if such a tool is a more generalized system utility or even better something that can easily be scripted/automated.
iPhoto mainly makes it harder to be organized.