1. You can just “Save as” to PNG, it takes no time or effort.
2. I use to use Monodraw exclusively for making diagrams in source code, but over time I’ve become so comfortable with the tool, keyboard shortcuts, etc. that now I just use it for all diagrams. It’s a very nice tool.
If you feel the need to embed giant ASCII diagrams into a source file, I think you should just use a picture. Like a .png or .svg or something and write the documentation in another file. Or even maybe try out rich text source code.
The diagrams I am pasting in are usually like 80 x 40 chars and keep you from having to tab out into documentation. They don’t change often so they don’t create messy diffs. I don’t think that’s unreasonable. Nobody on my team seems to mind. I don’t think this is a problem and I’m having trouble understanding why you think it is.
If you’re wondering why I need diagrams in source code, then the answer is I usually don’t need them but it helps. The only project where they were game changing was where we were using Neo4j as a backend and being able to clearly diagram the data model was really helpful.
I don't really have much of an issue with it. It's got bad vibes by association. I find it a little annoying how much stuff is done with text, and this is just a small part of that.
Writing documentation is typically an addition to writing comments. They serve different purposes. That said, adding a diagram to a comment will only make it easier to read. It is an addition. It cannot make things harder.
You don't need to get so annoyed on someone else's behalf. I am just putting my opinion out there – specifically that I would prefer just an image file that is referenced from a comment. I'm sure this person knows what an image is; I was not trying to imply that they didn't.
2. I use to use Monodraw exclusively for making diagrams in source code, but over time I’ve become so comfortable with the tool, keyboard shortcuts, etc. that now I just use it for all diagrams. It’s a very nice tool.