Disable or hide UI components?

When rendering the UI for a user, if a user doesn't have access to certain options, should the UI components be disabled or hidden?

I've been pondering this question all day and my particular use-case relates to navigation in an app. After lots of thinking, some discussions and some googling for UI wisdom, I've come to a fairly definitive conclusion. Users should have visibility on all components/options as long as the user can potentially use them. What I mean here, is that if the components require certain conditions to be met before the user can use them then they should still be present. If for the current user the components can never be used - they should be hidden. An inconsistent UI should be avoided and an inconsistent UI where components come and go will only confuse users more. A good analogy suggested by someone on a similar topic:

When the light bulb burns out, the light switch is still there. In the physical world, things don't disappear in thin air when they switch to a unusable condition.

Obviously there's probably exceptions to this rule, but I imagine this will hold true for most use-cases of this nature.

UI and UX

I do not think much of a man who is not wiser today than he was yesterday.

A little older and a little wiser, at least I'd like to think so. I find myself considering design and usability more of late and I'm feeling positive about the results on the projects I'm working on. But I don't think I'm alone on this, thankfully I'm seeing this on a large scale across the web. Sites failing to properly consider design and user experience are beginning to stand out like a sore thumb. I have less time and patience for these sites (perhaps it's my age again?) and I'm quick to find an alternative if needed (perhaps I should drop Ling an email and tell her where she's going wrong?).

Here's some links to some sites I'm finding particularly useful at the moment:

• Smashing Magazine - An online magazine for designers and developers with some great articles
  
• UX Myths - A site dedicated to listing common UX misconceptions and why they don't hold true
• UX Stack Exchange - A collaboratively edited question and answer site for user experience
• User-centered Design - (article) type of UI design and a process in which the needs, wants, and limitations of end users of a product are given extensive attention at EACH STAGE of the design process

I'm also reading Rock Surgery Made Easy (by Steve Krugg) at the moment, which is perfect for those wanting to do some DIY usability testing.