Reconsider make-backup-files default value

[James Ipswich]

Emacs has traditionally kept all defaults very minimal, and most
functionality needs to be explicitly enabled by the user. For example,
out of the box minibuffer and CAPF completion is quite plain.

However, make-backup-files default value is t, which I think goes
against this philosophy. If I open stock Emacs, with no configuration,
it pollutes all directories with backup files whenever I edit something.
This is a bit intrusive as I have never enabled such a functionality.

I understand this default is old, and comes from a time when machines
were less reliable and version control systems were not widely used. I
also understand some current users enjoy this functionality as an extra
safety net.

Personally, I think make-backup-files should default to nil or some
other less intrusive configuration, which would be better aligned with
the rest of Emacs defaults and how other software behaves.

Any thoughts?