I think I might have found a reasonable workaround for #2: putting long-term or waiting for subtasks into the Notes field, hiding Notes, and using Subtasks for next action and routine/frequent tasks (or any really important little note).
For #1, for all I said about those lines (Show Details) being in the way, you've managed to condense a lot of info/cues into it. For example, it's the best cue to Today (see Make Today visually distinguishable) and Overdue; etc., …
I'll try hiding them, again, though, and see how it goes.
P.S. I "get" that "simple" suggestions can be too complicated when it comes to coding; and one person's improvement can be another person's setback (5.1); and too many options can clutter settings & code, etc.—keep it simple, and if it ain't broke don't fix it…
so, I quite understand if you table these ideas, but I appreciate your responsiveness and consideration.