New way of mixing vs. old way

During my reply to Salvo's thread about mixing thru an SSL I made the comment that if I were to mix in an analog console I was more inclined to mix old school. i.e. work on the song till it was done and print, with recalls being a possibility, but not a part of the modern in-the-box process where it's expected.

I see some real benefits of working in the newer method. Not puting off making a decision, but allowing us mixers to work till we felt like it and moving on. The advantage is not being myopic about the mix, but allowing it to settle into our psyche and return when fresh and having another perspective.

I still have the occasion to mix in the old way on an analog console and working till the song is done. I did that on a project this summer at Paragon and it came out great. And I also remember times in the old days where I had to finish before moving on and I was struggling to make something happen. For whatever reason the mix wasn't presenting itself easily and I didn't have the luxury of spending more than a day or at most a day and a half on a song. It required me (and many of you) to dig deep and find a way to make it happen. However, in the DAW era we can get as far as we feel we have it in us and make a rough of where we are, with the intention to move on and return to the mix after listening to it elsewhere.

The question I have is this: Do you all who have been around long enough to work in both worlds feel that you got better results in the modern way, or do you feel that the imposed restriction of the old way, forcing you to bear down and find a way to make the mix is better?

I realize that this is in someways an apples and oranges question. Certainly it's two different worlds in mixing and to answer the question you have to account for that difference in technology. But I think you get my drift. One is working in a linear fashion, the other is more of a circular one. The analogy I think of is sort of like a tracking date where the band has one more song to finish because there's no session scheduled for the next day. I've seen on more than one occasion where the band digs deep and makes a track out of sheer will and desperation that would have never been as good had the time schedule not been a factor.

In today's world the labels expect recalling a mix in a way that I never had to do in the bad old days. So whatever we do today we have to be able to make recalls and figure that in as a part of the mixing process. But allowing for that, I'm talking about a way of working. Even mixing totally in the box one can work the the linear fashion, if you have the discipline to do that.

To be honest, I'm not sure where I stand on this.

What say you?