281–290 of 690 posts
Of course professionals get paid more, but I'm surprised there are so many tab users out there! Time to add a new interview question.
I believe the correct answer to that interview question would be "Follow the code style as established by the company, or keep it consistent within existing projects."
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I have never seen this work correctly in practice, where a code base with tabs looks "OK" when opened on an editor with a different tab width. E.g. some coding styles will have subsequent lines line up (like multiline method params), and everything looks horrible with a different tab width. If anyone can post a sizable production code base that uses tabs that DOESN'T look like shit with a different tab width, I'm cer…
FreeBSD, Linux ... every UNIX kernel codebase ?
Earlier quoted context omitted.
> when another developer looks at the code, their IDE will render the tabs as whatever its set up for, 2 spaces, 4 spaces, etc. This is an argument I hear often from tab proponents. What it misses out is the downside: my IDE has a certain arrangement on my screen, and I'll either have to invoke horizontal scrolling or I'll have a bunch of wasted space if you are using different size tabs from me. This is far from fle…
> if you are using different size tabs from me. But the point of tabs is that you tell your editor how many spaces wide you want them to be, so unless I'm misunderstanding you, this is not an issue. As for lining things up, tabs are used for the indentation level of the current line, but if you need to further nudge things within that line then you'd of course use spaces (after the initial tab indent).
The reason I use tabs is pretty simple. It's faster to move around only using the keyboard. It's also faster if I'm changing code that requires reformatting. Finally, when another developer looks at the code, their IDE will render the tabs as whatever its set up for, 2 spaces, 4 spaces, etc. In other words, it adds flexibility. Brace yourself: I use two spaces after the end of sentences too. [1] I am quite the rebel.…
> Finally, when another developer looks at the code, their IDE will render the tabs as whatever its set up for, 2 spaces, 4 spaces, etc. In other words, it adds flexibility. This is exactly why I use tabs and the reason which appears to never get cited in the holy wars. People who use spaces want to line up their '=' signs, that's fine, but I don't believe it's my position to enforce the amount of whitespace another…
How does that prevent the use of tabs? You can use tabs to indent, and spaces for your = signs.
Case closed! :)
Almost certainly a result of the spaces cabal and the (often unspoken of) prejudice against tab users. Don't think you make hiring decisions based on tabs vs spaces? Well you're part of the problem, then. I'm building an app to help you easily email your congressperson and ask them to create legislation requiring space/tab equality. This has to stop. Please consider donating to my Patreon.
> Don't think you make hiring decisions based on tabs vs spaces? I actually ask candidates "spaces or tabs?" in every single interview. I don't really care what the response is in regard to the holy war, and it doesn't mean anything on its own, but having SOME thought out response can be a GREAT indicator of how well versed someone is in general. e.g. I'm going to think way more highly of someone that says "tabs, bec…
Well, of course. Only companies with fuck-you money can afford the extra bytes spaces take up versus tabs, so it follows logically that they'd pay their developers more.
While your comment is obviously meant as a joke, it somehow rings true from my anecdotal experience. I'd also like to see an analysis of space-vs-tabs as it relates to operating systems. Again, from anecdotal experience, it seems spaces are more common for folks with *nix background who tend to work in product-oriented companies (i.e. where code is an asset) and tabs are more common with windows folks, who tend to wo…