Interesting discussion... my view is pretty much in line with firefytr & TonyJollans' posts - I don't really see good or bad but rather try to make an informed decision on the best approach to a solution based on the specifics of the situation. That's good programming practice and if a named range is the right tool for the job (and it can be) then use one.

I'm going to vote 'Yes'. There may, however, be disadvantages which you have to consider in the context of their use. For example, user "interaction" may be a factor... unfortunately, saying people shouldn't mess with things they don't understand doesn't actually stop them from doing it., so caution is advised at the planning stage.