I fail to see how current standards are relevant when addressing the actual point that trailangel was making, unless you're literally just appealing to the authority of what the current standards happen to be. But since the current standards are literally what trailangel is complaining about, this is a fairly circular objection. I mean, that would basically be:
"I take issue with the current standards."
"No, the current standards are good because they're the current standards!"

Even if I could see how your objection addresses the point, I would emphasize that, while the three crankset configurations you mentioned are the most common available on modern road bikes, they are hardly the only available. For example, Shimano's current lineup of high-end road chainrings does include a combination with a 12-tooth jump (54-42 for Dura-Ace FC-R9100) and one with a 10-tooth jump (46-36 for Ultegra FC-R8000).

As far as shift quality goes, it's certainly true that a well-adjusted FD paired to a well-designed 50-34 can make the shift consistently. But the shift is still large in ratio, requiring more compensatory shifts in back. And, for the upshift, it fundamentally takes longer for the shift to resolve because of how much rotation has to happen between the initial shift engagement and when the chain has been fully lifted into place. It's not illogical for someone to prefer smaller front jumps.