Example:
> Unhelpful behavior: overwhelming with an avalanche of comments
Code that isn't consistent to standards absolutely needs to be fixed. And while it's a lot of work to keep code up to standard, the author is correct that the nitpicking approach is unproductive.
A better approach is to review code like this, see that it falls short, and suggest realistic (and in turn kind) ways to improve things. Picking at each missed space is clearly counter productive, and there are more standard and helpful solutions.
Why not suggest adding:
- lint tools - requiring code meets standards - auto formatting tools
I don't think things like minutia fit in code reviews either, but the small stuff does matter.
I feel the same about the other suggestions, they can be boiled down to: don't be an ass; be kind; be constructive. Just imagine that you're reviewing your own code from 5 years ago.