It is good that these are many separate files, because that avoids the problem of accumulating cruft that nobody can sort out. Also different syntax is possible

It is good that these are many separate files, because that avoids the problem of accumulating cruft that nobody can sort out. Also different syntax is possible for different problems. Contrast that to a key-value store with a fixed set of datatypes (say, bool/int/string) where invariably the complexity is pushed into string values (for example, screen geometry, Hotkey descriptions...). Nothing gained. The term "Text" has different cultural connotations. You can have a very strict encoding, and in fact in my perception many people agree today that "be liberal in what you accept" is wrong. Personally I am a nazi in what I accept, and it has worked out great so far. I don't think text is a problem with automation either. The easiest way to go is just to regenerate the whole config file when something changes. Also some formats can safely be transformed with e.g. sed.