Yeah, good point -- fresh gunk isn't as bad as dried on gunk, I run mine every 5 days or so (whenever necessary, but I don't wait until it's full full), hence the necessity to remove gunk, because by the time I run the dishwasher, it would be dried on. (I usually remove it and put it in the dishwasher immediately.)
Also, I'm talking about older dishwashers, which, other than for a couple years in the early 90's, has been my experience.