customize versus own expressions in .emacs

[Sebastian Luque <sluque@mun.ca>]

Since I began using Emacs a little over a year now, I've been mixing my
own entries with those made by the Customize interface in my ~/.emacs. As
I learned more and started using more libraries, it has become more
difficult to maintain this file due to the mixing of the two styles.
However, I'm not sure which approach to take in the long run; the
Customize interface is ideal for initially setting options, because you
can look at all the available options at once. OTOH, having a section with
my own expressions in the file is much better for keeping track of
everything afterward.

Something similar to this was discussed in this list ("is Customize the
right advice to give?") back in 1999. Variation in preferences was very
large. Is there some general consensus regarding this today, given that
Customize seems to have improved since 1999?

-- 
Sebastian P. Luque