I see the desire for improved notebook diffs as an initial step towards better integration into larger project workflows.
Consider integration with existing language tools:
- Static type checkers such as mypy
- Code formatters
- Linters
- Rich semantic code viewing (Github’s ‘definition’ and ‘references’ links when viewing python files)
The path towards better project integration will be difficult with a notebook-specific file format. It’s not impossible, but consider native source files (.py) if the rationale is that the format should change because it is too difficult to change the tools (diff).