Below.

> 1. Whether to load `custom-file' automatically after the init file is an open question.

Agree, but it would be a nice place, right?

Yes, that's why I proposed it.

I meant that the idea of automatically loading `custom-file' is open, and the general proposition doesn't depend strongly on it.

> In addition, we should add a new switch that suppresses (only) loading of the `custom-file'

Don't get that one

Same reason as for the variable that would do that. You can set or bind the variable in code, but you might just want to start up Emacs without your `custom-file' sometime.