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Re: PEP 8 and extraneous whitespace

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Chris Rebert wrote:

> John Gordon wrote:
>> Neil Cerutti writes:
>>> You can fit much more code per unit of horizontal space with a
>>> proportionally spaced font. As a result, that issue, while valid,
>>> is significantly reduced.
>>
>> Is it?  I assume one major reason for the 80-character limit is to help
>> the poor sod who will eventually get stuck working with your code on an
>> 80-column fixed width terminal window.
> 
> What environments with that limitation are still in common use?

TTYs are present on Unices and compatible OSes everywhere today (even more 
so as Python is evolving into a more powerful replacement for Bourne-shell 
based shell command languages), and there are sophisticated graphic-mode 
IDEs (not IDLE) where you want to have more than the source code column 
visible at the same time.

Having too long code lines is detrimental to readability there, because even 
though you can scroll, horizontal scrolling is a PITA.  Automatic word-wrap, 
where available, really is not a solution; it is a bad workaround to a 
problem caused by the original author of the source code that can be easily 
avoided by them taking more care while coding.

> It's not the '70s anymore; I think we can safely increase the max
> column width a bit.

You're wrong.  It is not only an issue of output device/window, but also 
simply of readability.  In particular, humans have difficulties reading text 
that is larger than about 60 characters, both due to constrainted view angle 
and increased eye movement from the end of one line to the beginning of the 
next one (the greater that distance, the harder to keep track of the text).  
One can learn from the newspaper and pocketbook publishers how easily 
readable text should be formatted (but one must not overdo as some of them 
do).
 
-- 
PointedEars

Bitte keine Kopien per E-Mail. / Please do not Cc: me.

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Re: PEP 8 and extraneous whitespace Terry Reedy <tjreedy@udel.edu> - 2011-07-21 18:45 -0400
  Re: PEP 8 and extraneous whitespace Roy Smith <roy@panix.com> - 2011-07-21 21:12 -0400
    Re: PEP 8 and extraneous whitespace Ed Leafe <ed@leafe.com> - 2011-07-21 22:11 -0500
    Re: PEP 8 and extraneous whitespace Ethan Furman <ethan@stoneleaf.us> - 2011-07-25 15:05 -0700
    Re: PEP 8 and extraneous whitespace Thomas Jollans <t@jollybox.de> - 2011-07-26 01:26 +0200
      Re: PEP 8 and extraneous whitespace AlienBaby <matt.j.warren@gmail.com> - 2011-07-26 05:46 -0700
        Re: PEP 8 and extraneous whitespace Steven D'Aprano <steve+comp.lang.python@pearwood.info> - 2011-07-27 10:49 +1000
  Re: PEP 8 and extraneous whitespace Thomas Rachel <nutznetz-0c1b6768-bfa9-48d5-a470-7603bd3aa915@spamschutz.glglgl.de> - 2011-07-22 10:11 +0200
    Re: PEP 8 and extraneous whitespace Thomas Jollans <t@jollybox.de> - 2011-07-22 12:23 +0200
    Re: PEP 8 and extraneous whitespace Neil Cerutti <neilc@norwich.edu> - 2011-07-22 12:59 +0000
      Re: PEP 8 and extraneous whitespace Ian Kelly <ian.g.kelly@gmail.com> - 2011-07-22 12:13 -0600
        Re: PEP 8 and extraneous whitespace Neil Cerutti <neilc@norwich.edu> - 2011-07-22 19:05 +0000
          Re: PEP 8 and extraneous whitespace John Gordon <gordon@panix.com> - 2011-07-22 19:13 +0000
            Re: PEP 8 and extraneous whitespace Neil Cerutti <neilc@norwich.edu> - 2011-07-22 19:15 +0000
            Re: PEP 8 and extraneous whitespace Brandon Harris <brandon.harris@reelfx.com> - 2011-07-22 14:53 -0500
            Re: PEP 8 and extraneous whitespace Chris Rebert <clp2@rebertia.com> - 2011-07-22 13:56 -0700
              Re: PEP 8 and extraneous whitespace Thomas 'PointedEars' Lahn <PointedEars@web.de> - 2011-07-28 01:24 +0200
                Re: PEP 8 and extraneous whitespace "OKB (not okblacke)" <brenNOSPAMbarn@NObrenSPAMbarn.net> - 2011-07-28 06:18 +0000
                Re: PEP 8 and extraneous whitespace Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2011-07-29 20:25 +1000
                Re: PEP 8 and extraneous whitespace "OKB (not okblacke)" <brenNOSPAMbarn@NObrenSPAMbarn.net> - 2011-07-29 18:45 +0000
                Re: PEP 8 and extraneous whitespace Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2011-07-30 07:18 +1000
                Re: PEP 8 and extraneous whitespace "OKB (not okblacke)" <brenNOSPAMbarn@NObrenSPAMbarn.net> - 2011-07-31 01:23 +0000
                Re: PEP 8 and extraneous whitespace Gregory Ewing <greg.ewing@canterbury.ac.nz> - 2011-07-31 18:10 +1200
                Re: PEP 8 and extraneous whitespace Ben Finney <ben+python@benfinney.id.au> - 2011-07-31 17:56 +1000
                Re: PEP 8 and extraneous whitespace Thomas 'PointedEars' Lahn <PointedEars@web.de> - 2011-08-01 17:16 +0200
            Re: PEP 8 and extraneous whitespace Corey Richardson <kb1pkl@aim.com> - 2011-07-22 17:17 -0400
            Re: PEP 8 and extraneous whitespace Michael Brown <Michael@invalid.invalid> - 2011-07-24 13:07 +0000
              Re: PEP 8 and extraneous whitespace Zero Piraeus <schesis@gmail.com> - 2011-07-24 11:08 -0400
                Re: PEP 8 and extraneous whitespace Ben Finney <ben+python@benfinney.id.au> - 2011-07-25 07:37 +1000
                Re: PEP 8 and extraneous whitespace Neil Cerutti <neilc@norwich.edu> - 2011-07-25 11:37 +0000
    Re: PEP 8 and extraneous whitespace Michiel Overtoom <motoom@xs4all.nl> - 2011-07-22 19:05 +0200
      Re: PEP 8 and extraneous whitespace rusi <rustompmody@gmail.com> - 2011-07-22 10:43 -0700
        Re: PEP 8 and extraneous whitespace Ian Kelly <ian.g.kelly@gmail.com> - 2011-07-22 12:14 -0600
    Re: PEP 8 and extraneous whitespace Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2011-07-23 03:27 +1000

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