Half step gearing is a beautiful thing when it is set up properly... I use it on both of my touring bikes which run 6 and 7 speed freewheel blocks in the rear which also has the advantage of having a wheel with less dish and narrower dropout spacing.

One can always find that perfect gear to maintain a comfortable cadence.

Although it was rendered somewhat obsolete with the advent of 8-10 speed cassettes that can have very close steps a great number of people still prefer it.