Well, it depends on the context, code, tool used, etc... Sometimes one can be more suitable than the other. For example, when functions are larger than a page, if you position in the closing brace, (X)Emacs helps you and prints in the minibuffer the matched opening brace. If you use the former (e.g.: if (x == 0) { ) it is helpful. I'm sure you can find pros and cons for both. Just my 2 cents, Tomas