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I'll be flipping the point around by saying that if you are concerned about vertical whitespace reduction, you should probably look at the granularity of your files (debatable based on programming environment). Also we could be catering to the lowest common denominator by worrying about people with untrained symmetric sensibility.

>Why optimize for the lowest common denominator?

You seem to be erroneously equating a coincidence with a preference.

Tip: Tilt your wide screen so you get more vertical real estate.