I played ffxi for 8 years and never once used any 3rd pt programs and it didn't effect my gameplay in the least. I would run all kinds of events with ppl who used so many illegal add-ons it was ridiculous and not only did it not make me less effective, I could sometimes run circles around them.

Its more about player skill. Who needs to use a crutch and who does not. Parsers Im ok with simply because it allows you to LEARN how to play your class better without hrs of scrolling thru a chat log and adding up numbers. But other stuff is just lazy gaming imo and should be bannable.

That being said, its usually safer to flat ban them all so close any loop holes and allows SE to put their time and money into things that are really important, like content. So I can understand their position on the subject.