I think the core issue we are addressing can be summed up with the question "what makes coding standards good?"

Uhm, not really IMHO. I think that it was more of a "meta-discussion", but it's fine for me to mix the two topics :) Forgive me if I mix up your citations, but I urge this one:

I guess you could argue that I should change.

I couldn't be more distant from this. I'm pretty happy there are so different people in the world, even if I don't like them all (not your case, of course). And the reason why I continue this thread (beyond the pleasure to do so) is that I'm curious about other points of view.

It seems your outlook is that, regardless of how rigid they are, the coding standards should be followed.

Yes, but maybe I missed to stress another point: nobody obliges you. If you find that the standards are too rigid, that the management is too stiff, and that you hate them all, you'd better consider getting a better job. Which is not always feasable, or adviceable, I understand; but the decision to continue (given by family, loans, etc.) should be in the good and in the bad. I mean, if you accept the compromise to continue a bad work in order to "survive", you'd accept the rules that come with this decision.

Interesting. I think it might just boil down to personality.

Definitively. I always prefeared to try the discussion instead of explicit rule breaking and *then* discussion. But I also understand that many results, in many fields, were reached more because of "break" than because of "diplomacy" - just think of '68. I probably lack the courage/nerves/heart/mind/whatever to be on the "break" side. If you happen to be such a person, you should probably try to discuss anyway: the final goal should probably be that all benefit from better coding standards.

To conclude, one advice: if you happen to drive in Italy, don't pass when the traffic light is red :) Merry Christmas,