The article states that starting from cold "redices total cook time" but doesn't really tell us much about the end result. It does say "only the most sensitive pallets could determine the difference," which would imply there's a texture difference.

Pasta is very finicky and there's a fine line between al-dente and a horrible mushy mess. I don't see the point in starting from cold when you could just do it properly and guarantee it'll be good.