I read the article, I've done S&S up to Simple, one GPP single kettlebell complex and I'm currently on the 11th week of my first ever RoP cycle. That's to say that, even though I'm sure to lack most of Mr. Shank knowledge, I can elaborate on his writing based on my personal experience with the program and the comparsion of it with other two.
This is kind of a too general question, I think. S&S is, for a complete beginner, a
fantastic program up until Simple to get to a level of GPP so high that it will allow the practicioner to be physically ready (under the strength aspect, at the very least) for many other activities he wants to do next. This is what the program's declared goal is, so, to me, it
very well lived up to the expetations, and it's therefore
very effective.
Are there other programs that do the same thing? Yes.
Are there
better programs that do the same thing? Probably, I don't know for sure... But are they as efficient as S&S, in leaving you enough time to do whatever else you want in your life and play any sport or practice any physical art while in it? Testing everyday (that has been my way of training up until Simple), the overall typical session never took me more than 30 minutes plus a well deserved shower. And I'm not even strong or athletic, just a regular guy.
Does it matter that there could be "better" programs? Given that S&S is a field tested routine that has worked for many,
many individuals with different training backgrounds and levels of fitness, I think it's safe to say that no, it does not matter at all.
In physical training, I can't really argue to something said by anybody that has read 10 or more books, let alone a specialist at Pavel Tsatsouline's level.
In my experience, S&S has turn my life upside down and made it better, that's all I can say. It has also made me think about all the times physically active people told me "you should train, you look horrible and perform accordingly". They were right!
Me too! Forever confused!
To add to the confusion, I'll tell you that it has always (and still is) my opinion that yes, S&S lacks something, namely a squat (a pure squat) and a press. But, and that is a pretty relevant thing, I've seen that anytime I've added things to it, things changed for the worst. The programs demands just three things: time, consistency and confidence, but it works, it works terribly well!