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Why I prefer no tabs in source code

adamspiers.org

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Re: Why I prefer no tabs in source code

#2

Post by mike_mc »

"Or consider someone who is on an 80x25 terminal"... ok now where are just getting silly. This discussion isnt even really technical but more of a aesthetic opinion. A single standard would be best but it wont happen because it really doesnt matter as long as the code runs and your coders arent actively making text-pictures. Also that free BSD example is only because they have the time to format their comments like that. No one really comments like that , its unnecessary and if it causes problems then a simpler form should be used.

Re: Why I prefer no tabs in source code

#3

Post by jrockway »

mike_mc wrote: post #2

"Or consider someone who is on an 80x25 terminal"... ok now where are just getting silly. This discussion isnt even really technical but more of a aesthetic opinion. A single standard would be best but it wont happen because it really doesnt matter as long as the code runs and your coders arent actively making text-pictures. Also that free BSD example is only because they have the time to format their comments like t…

No one really comments like that , its unnecessary and if it causes problems then a simpler form should be used.

I comment like this. It's also not hard to do. You type something like:

  some line of code ; here is my comment, blah blah blah, very long, blah blah blah
Then press M-q ("fill-paragraph"), and Emacs turns it into:

  some line of code  ; here is my comment, blah blah
                     ; blah, very long, blah blah blah
Sometimes this looks nicer than:

  ;; here is my comment, blah blah blah, very long,
  ;; blah blah blah
  some line of code
Anyway, both styles are quite common.

"Or consider someone who is on an 80x25 terminal"... ok now where are just getting silly.

I always consider people on 80 column terminals, because although I have a huge monitor, I would like to display more than one file at a time. Aiming for 80 columns means that you appeal to the "lowest common denominator" and it means that you can have lots of files within easy visual reach. (I actually end up near 90 at home and 85 at work... but I try not to exceed 78 too often.)

Re: Why I prefer no tabs in source code

#4

Post by Dobbs »

jrockway wrote: post #3
mike_mc wrote: post #2

"Or consider someone who is on an 80x25 terminal"... ok now where are just getting silly. This discussion isnt even really technical but more of a aesthetic opinion. A single standard would be best but it wont happen because it really doesnt matter as long as the code runs and your coders arent actively making text-pictures. Also that free BSD example is only because they have the time to format their comments like t…

No one really comments like that , its unnecessary and if it causes problems then a simpler form should be used. I comment like this. It's also not hard to do. You type something like: some line of code ; here is my comment, blah blah blah, very long, blah blah blah Then press M-q ("fill-paragraph"), and Emacs turns it into: some line of code ; here is my comment, blah blah ; blah, very long, blah blah blah Sometimes…

Those that are curious "gq" does the same thing on vim. Use ":set tw=" to tell vim the maximum number of columns (80 by default)

Re: Why I prefer no tabs in source code

#5

Post by cduan »

1. Interesting that both this and the opposing article were submitted by the same person (which suggests to me that the "I" in the article titles does not refer to the submitter).

2. Sometimes I use tabs. Sometimes I don't. I can never really remember, because Vim is set to :expandtab for me on some of my machines. What I do know is that I never really care.

I use the ^T, ^D, >, and = commands to shift my left margin around in Vim. I haven't typed a space or a tab at the beginning of a line in years. After all, why use low-level functions when you have high-level ones?

Re: Why I prefer no tabs in source code

#7

Post by shin_lao »

Oh yes. Tabs or spaces in source code. That's really what makes software great.

Just have guidelines and stick to them. What sucks is inconsistency.

Everybody's got an opinion about code layout. It doesn't matter. There's no good or bad layout. Readability is just another word for "looking like stuff I'm used to read".

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