Why is TeX such a mess?

The simplest, modern route to using T_EX is to download TeX Live, but it's such a huge mess. Even the lightest installation can be hundreds of megabytes, and there are so many files it needs its own package management system.

Why can't I just download pdftex and run pdftex foo.tex and get a PDF? Why is there so much cruft for what is supposed to be ``traditional'' UNIX software?

>>5
The trick with micro languages is knowing when you've hit the limits of what the language was designed to do. If you expect to hit that barrier early you probably should choose a different language.

>>6
We are nowhere near the point of being able to create a unified schema to represent every UI element and combination that someone could conceivably desire to use. You can blame the UI designers for that, I suppose.