&gt; 1000-ish lines in python ...<p>Well, an if&#x2F;elif&#x2F;elif block that spans 300 lines is often much more difficult to comprehend than 100 - ten line functions (especially if all 100 share the same function signature).<p>That said, I&#x27;m not sure if I prefer the xml configuration option.  But the design is overall likely more flexible now than it was before.