I wasn't only referring to conferences but also journals. AFAIK journals have page limits too. My opinion: if something is long... well, it's long! Peer review

I wasn't only referring to conferences but also journals. AFAIK journals have page limits too. My opinion: if something is long... well, it's long! Peer reviewers should also judge if the length is reasonable, right? I'd rather read a 60-page detailed manual than a 5-page "press release". You're presenting a false dichotomy: concision and details are not incompatible.