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The question of what piece belongs in the corner is interesting and I'm sure has been debated *far* longer than we think. Here's my $.02 worth:

Regardless of the merits of all pawns defended in the opening, only configurations where the 2 end pawns [1 on either side] on an 8x8 are guarded work well for playing purposes, since you don't have to be trying to guard what should be anchoring the rest of your pawn line, and pushing a rook's pawn is not a highly desirable opening move in modern versions of chess. And that the 2 end pawns and their 2 immediate neighbors are guarded is reasonable for playing purposes on an 8x10. 

Sticking the bishops in the corners on either a square or rectangular board where they start along the longer side allows them to bear on both the opponent's pawn and piece ranks. I find this ability to pin a pawn or force an exchange with the opening move to be a flaw, in the sense that it is a forcing mechanism, guiding the game into a particular set of pathways, and thus too unbalancing toward white. It certainly isn't a fatal flaw; Wildebeest Chess is popular, and it uses that first-move attack as a feature. Sticking the bishops in the corners on 8x10 requires one to centerize the falcons to guard all pawns in the opening, BRNQFFKNRB, for what that's worth.

Sticking the knights in the corners is generally frowned upon because they are so far from the action and they are so slow. You also find problems guarding all the pawns with cornered Ns. However, you might use the double-castled set-up, with bishops in the middle, on 8x8, thus: NQRBBRKN, and the king's N would almost certainly be in the thick of things without even moving, for what that is worth.  

And just to finish off with the one other thing I agree with you on in your last post, George: I do think the 'white is right, queen on color' placement is the 'normal' position. However, this just means we're both old fogies. ;-)