Apple rarely edits how big open source tools work in such a blunt way. I am not saying these tools' behavior is blessed by Apple. I'm just saying that TFA's assertion that 'these tools use .config so it's already standard' is not true - they don't. Unless you are saying that Apple is endorsing dotfile vomit outside of any particular folder.
Apple is quite happy to patch & extend stuff. Their ssh-add(1) accepts --apple-use-keychain, --apple-load-keychain; vanilla OpenSSH doesn't even know what long flags are.
I think it's entirely OK for long-established programs to adhere to their conventions; it's less surprising for the users. If you're going to change how things work, do so with minimum impact on the UI.
