On Thursday, June 27, 2013 6:38:30 AM UTC-7, wrote:
...snip....
I'm amazed at how many people proceed with the "how to"
without understanding that they are tilting at windmills.
The most you can get with any of these rewiring attempts
is to get one defined position. If, for example you want
that one position to be that the light is off with all
switches in a down position, you can do that. Cool. But
just take out a piece of paper and make a table. With
4 switches, there are 16 possible combination of switch
position. List all 16 together with if the light is on
or off. With the rewiring or rotating of the switches,
you get ONE of those table entries to be all switches down,
light off. But that's all you get. There are other
table entries with the light off and the switches in
various states.

As I said previously, I can see achieving that to be of
some small value. For example, if you're leaving the
house for vacation and you want to look at each switchplate
in the house prior to leaving, if they are all down, then
all the lights are off. But you can't determine squat from
looking at one switch. And almost all of us would just look
at the light.

Glad they did. Learned a lot about wiring and potential wiring examples.

Being pedantic, four light switches yield 8 patterns ON and 8 patterns OFF for a 'total' of 16 patterns.

Of little value? I asked for factual help, not opinions, although opinions are of interest and appreciate hearing to better understand why the world is the way it is.

To better understand importance to me: again this home has many 'courtesy' light switches. There are multiple switches to turn ON/OFF the same light placed about home as a 'courtesy'. What I mean is, is that the likelihood of entering an area, using the light switch, exiting the area and using the SAME light switch is the most likely pattern of switch use. Many of the rooms have more than 3 such entrances/exits. and it is handy to be able to leave the switch in a known pattern. During the day, it is somehow pleasing to look about and see that all the light switches are in the OFF possitions, and all the little mounting screws are in the 12-6 position to add a touch of neatness and professionalism to the installation. [the screws were all placed in the identical positions by the original contractor, which I interpret as a sign of quality workmanship and attention to details]

As far as looking at the light to see if it is ON, yes, one can see the light is ON, but late at night in the attempt to turn that light OFF, I don't want to turn ON the major overhead lights, or one of the bedroom reading lights, or the ?? light as I fumble about at night trying to remember which switch will turn OFF the light [albeit I had just turned the light ON minutes before], which, yes, I can clearly see is now ON.

Maybe a better explanation is that, when in a hurry, when entering a room light switch panels have one order of control, but when exiting the room the order is reversed. Yes, I knnow that left is still left and right is still right, but that requres one to 'stop' and face the panel set, and 'think' about it. That's what I want to avoid. I want the simple menomic of a switch UP is ON and a swtich DOWN is OFF, then there is NO thinking, simply hit the switch when going by.

I understand that in smaller homes with 'tubular' hallways that have single switches in each panel that arbitrary positions of the switches are indeed a 'no never mind'