NOTATIO

I much prefer this:
instead of this:
The latter seems much too distorted/displaced from its 'true' position.

Who's with me?

Completely agree, benwiggy.

Absolutely

*raise hand*

What software creates this by default? Or were you asked to do it?

This is, as far as I can tell, Dorico's default. There is a Notation Options for Unisons, but not for seconds.

It's a moment's work to fix it (Swap Voice Order), but it would be great not to have to do it at all.

I realise there are complications with things like F# vs F natural; or G in the lower voice; or if they both had dots, etc.

Speaking of which, this seems to be what Finale does without manual intervention for F# and F nat:

instead of swapping voices why not simply change the voice column index?

MichelRE wrote: ↑28 Apr 2024, 20:25 instead of swapping voices why not simply change the voice column index?

No: I'm not swapping voice CONTENTS, but Voice ORDER, which does indeed swap the voice column index on each note.

The first example is the most convenient!

Concur with everyone; I'd rather read the first one any day.

I just saw some work done in Sibelius with the same issue: don't know if it's a default.

Finale seems to do this, too,
which possibly looks like a staccato dot.