I know (not terribly well in some cases, I admit) people on both sides of this one, and it seems to me like a fairly reasonable attempt to bring posting into line with the standard comm format -- which then set off this whole tinderbox of simmering Issues that were just beneath the surface, and which didn't really have anything to *do* with guidelines for formatting fic. I think that's why it all went to hell so fast.

Of course, that's the secondhand impression I've been getting. I wasn't there for the festivities . . .

As for me, I follow a set of decision-making criteria similar to yours when picking fic to read. I think most folks do the same sort of thing, even if they don't consciously consider it.