I like YAML but it has some minor quirks and it feels overused in domains in which it simply doesn't make sense to use YAML. I can think of ansible or complex dynamic configurations that depend on external values as mentioned in the article. If simple merging of a base file + dev, staging, prod files isn't enough for the task at hand then YAML is a bad fit.

I'm the same way. I think it's a difference in my expectations of a programming language versus a hierarchical data storage format. I'm fine with (and even prefer) enforced whitespace in data formats. That makes it easier to view and edit.

In programming languages, it makes me twitch. I don't have any problem with "accepted" formatting styles (i.e. linux kernel c style), but for the language itself to enforce that for some reason feels like it's adding perpetual cognitive overhead (like whenever I use python). I don't know why; it shouldn't be any different than using a particular formatting style voluntarily in a more flexible language, but somehow, it feels different.