I disagree with first post (well there could be some truth on greed part), I also disagree on how the whole resource system works and I agree with Mur's philosophy that depletion should be possible, but the way it's all implemented just makes me cry.
I'm unsure why exactly there's a problem with inefficient resource gathering? Sure there would be more resources harvested if there wasn't depletion. Thing that I see is that then people would still find a new reason to complain because even then they failed to gather resources even thought they are available. Next complaint would be problem with tool availability, resource pools being too small for community once community reaches X number of harvesting efficiency (quality of tools * available time to invest in harvesting * harvesting stat * active harvesting players). Buyers and sellers complain all the time about resource bundles being unsplittable because it makes extremely difficult to create market for such things according to how things are now.
In my mind, resources have... no real use, that's the first problem one should be looking at. Just by making more and more stuff craftable out of those resources and actually usable will close the circle and solve all of your problems. Because it would make big harvesting sharks not needing to split their bundles, they would sell big bundles to crafters, crafters would craft end-user goods which, you guess it, don't stack in bundles. Such industry would become so big that for mere silver you would be able to get nice chunk of goods. Hence no need for getting into harvesting and crafting business yourself if you need few of X for personal use. Only if you want to be producer in market you would join in the fuss, and then you would actually be specializing.
So, depletion is not a problem in my mind, problem is the largely unfinished (as is everything else) resource system.
And no sasha, you couldn't forever throw toadspeak because that's considered as LHO spell, burning it out on someone because of your frustration for example without good reason is bad thing, as LHO you should know that. (however throwing it here and there for giggles and not to "harm" anyone on purpose is okay I guess)
Also, please don't bring religion into this, thankies.