The other side of this is, terse code can be easier to deal with because you can fit more on-screen/in your mind at a time.

If the abbreviations used are automatic and second nature to those programmers, possibly the rewritten version appeals more to them because it's short.

(Personally I put a lot of blank lines in my code... and I've noticed I'm much more productive using a 50-line screen than a 25-line one.)