Some things won't matter, some will. I think it's changed over time as dishwashers and detergents got better.
The article mentions that newer detergents do better with unrinsed dishes. And I remember a commercial about a dishwasher that could eat a cake. My old model sure couldn't do that! If I wasn't careful I'd find hunks of food sitting inside after it ran. It also used to be that putting thin tupperware on the bottom rack was a sure way to melt it. Now I can't remember the last time that happened to me.
Things that used to provably matter... now don't.
On the other hand, I have a family member who loads the spoons in a big pile, and they stick together and don't get clean. Or, I had roommates who kept putting my good knives in the dishwasher, and the finish got ruined. That stuff still matters.
I like the article's conclusion: we can just get the answers, and update our knowledge. We don't have to treat this like a pre-internet argument, where we just went in circles repeating heresay.
Another example is plates tall enough to block the top spinner. Or plates pressed together so much that water can’t get in between.
When I was cleaning my dishwasher I realized there are two ways to configure it: with a in-sink garbage disposal, and without. If you don't have the garbage disposal part hooked up there is simply nowhere for the chunks to go and they accumulate at the bottom of the washer beneath a filter.
What do you mean by finish? I put all my knives in without issue but probably wouldn't do wooden handles