I can't reproduce either, it's possible the meaning of these is being confused.
The "distance before head" is meant to cover the case of upstem notes where the ehad is the left-most element, "distance before stem" covers downstem notes where the stem is. And that's exactly how it works for me in 2.3; I don't think this code has changed recently.
Comments
Can't reproduce, behaves the same as 2.0, so a regression
I can't reproduce either, it's possible the meaning of these is being confused.
The "distance before head" is meant to cover the case of upstem notes where the ehad is the left-most element, "distance before stem" covers downstem notes where the stem is. And that's exactly how it works for me in 2.3; I don't think this code has changed recently.
Let's close it then. Reopen if you can provide more info and steps to reproduce