I found a couple good articles about the triple.

The first is pro-triple (link) which pretty much corroborates what you gents have already said. I find it funny how he ends the article. It seems as though the world is no longer okay...

The next article is against the triple (link).

These are a couple good reads. I will let you all extrapolate your own conclusions on the matter.

For me, the triple makes sense. I do however understand that for the pro, they don't make sense. You have your course and you set up accordingly. I, however, am not a pro, just like 95% of people who purchase bicycles. And yeah, I could afford a new compact crank and a bunch of spare cassettes in which to swap out depending on what kind of riding I want to do on any given day. But why would I want to go through the trouble when there is one simple solution which requires one simple cassette.

I just love what ding-bat-dilly, coach Rob says about how it is better for you to push hard up those hills and even get off and walk the bike up when it gets too hard... Right... keep walking Rob.