>and the extra level in a CASE adds nothing to comprehending
>the structure.

I agree it adds nothing to comprehending the code. A person can read all left-justified code and comprehend it. Doing so will just take the developer longer. By having everything broken out visually through indention, our eyes automatically see the patterns, establish the relationships, convey probable intents which then take a comparatively small amount of thought processing to verify.

At least that's been my experience.

>That said, like spaces vs. tabs, this is a personal preference that
>makes no difference.

Anytime we can use our natural abilities more effectively to conquer the task before us ... isn't that a good thing? We have this huge parallel processing engine in our brains devoted to processing visual imagery. Using our deep, core mental abilities to figure things by deciphering is much slower than our sight, which becomes completely automatic and nearly instantaneous once you program in the patterns you're looking for.

At least that's been my experience. I also have a form of dyslexia which makes reading more difficult. Patterns, on the other hand, are extremely easy for me to see and understand.