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The airline pilots use a red beacon before engine start and strobes on the runway, but for GA we believe all you need is strobes and the beacon is optional. We did agree it's poor form to taxi around at night on the ramp with the strobes on blinding everyone, but the debate is about what's legal minimum equipment on the aircraft.
Rotating beacons and strobes are both approved anticollisison lights. You'll find some planes with stobing red lights on the tail rather than beacons as well. The certification requirements for anticollision lights changed several times over years and older planes are grandfathered under their original certification. My plane isn't required to have them at all and didn't come with them. I've got integrated position and strobes embedded in my tip tanks.