I guess if it is automatically generated then it might not necessarily be the ideal signal flow of information but the plugin dev can determine the order of parameters at least. It would probably just list them top to bottom if it is node style
I love it. It’s straight to the point with no unnecessary frills. Admittedly I also love spreadsheets 
but I love making fancy 3D renders too. There is a place for both I believe.
About knobs vs sliders,
This often gets brought up in on-screen useability. People say that sliders are better but I think it’s a tradeoff for either. Sliders have the advantage that you can easily tap a point along the bar to jump to there. Knobs have the advantage that they take up less space. One thing that often get misunderstood is that the operation of gradually increasing or decreasing is exactly the same for a knob and slider on screen. You just press and slide left or right or up and down. You don’t actually have to “turn” an on screen knob. Nevertheless, in a node style, if parameters are listed top to bottom, then sliders probably make the most sense. However on a GUI, both are good IMHO
I totally agree