[DogByteMan]

The intent behind the templates is to provide an alternative to the stock templates during the time it takes to learn the X-CART system. To get a clean look for your store so you can get up and running with products and learn the ins and outs of X-CART customization in a less stressfull environment.

The act of installing a template, following the detailed instructions, in itself, goes a long way towards teaching a newbie how to edit and customize .tpl files.

I see it as good thing all the way around...