Tabs (was Re: OT: This Swift thing)

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From	Terry Reedy <tjreedy@udel.edu>
Subject	Tabs (was Re: OT: This Swift thing)
Date	Thu, 05 Jun 2014 15:05:07 -0400
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On 6/5/2014 4:39 AM, Steven D'Aprano wrote:
> On Wed, 04 Jun 2014 22:43:05 -0400, Terry Reedy wrote:
>
>> Many mail readers treat \t as a null char since it actually has no
>> standard translation into screen space.

No *single* standard.

> I challenge that assertion. There are two standard translations into
> screen space: jump to the next multiple of 8 spaces, or 1 space.

You forgot the other tab standards. In the US, the default tab stops are 
at 1/2 inch intervals, which is 5 or 6 chars for fixed 10 or 12 pitch 
fonts. Most email is not code from programmers and their bizarre (to a 
non-programmer) and dis-functional choice (sometimes) of 8 spaces.

> Treating \t as a single space would be pathetic but standard. Treating it
> as (up to) 8 spaces would be more useful, and standard. Rendering it as a
> picture of a banana dancing on the ceiling would be silly and non-
> standard. Not rendering it at all is even more stupid and less justified.

<\t> would be better than nothing. Let us see what Thunderbird does 
*now*. Maybe complaints prompted a change. Or maybe some clients eat 
tabs upon sending.

     4 spaces
         8 spaces
	tab, which displays as 8 spaces on input
		2 tabs

Regardless of what shows, there is still no configuration option.

-- 
Terry Jan Reedy

Thread

Re: OT: This Swift thing Sturla Molden <sturla.molden@gmail.com> - 2014-06-03 20:43 +0000
  Re: OT: This Swift thing Marko Rauhamaa <marko@pacujo.net> - 2014-06-04 00:19 +0300
    Re: OT: This Swift thing Steven D'Aprano <steve@pearwood.info> - 2014-06-04 04:30 +0000
      Re: OT: This Swift thing Marko Rauhamaa <marko@pacujo.net> - 2014-06-04 08:23 +0300
  Re: OT: This Swift thing Mark H Harris <harrismh777@gmail.com> - 2014-06-03 16:49 -0500
    Re: OT: This Swift thing Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2014-06-04 08:01 +1000
    Re: OT: This Swift thing "Eric S. Johansson" <esj@harvee.org> - 2014-06-03 19:22 -0400
    Re: OT: This Swift thing Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2014-06-04 09:29 +1000
    Re: OT: This Swift thing "Eric S. Johansson" <esj@harvee.org> - 2014-06-03 19:36 -0400
    Re: OT: This Swift thing Steven D'Aprano <steve@pearwood.info> - 2014-06-04 04:54 +0000
      Re: OT: This Swift thing Mark H Harris <harrismh777@gmail.com> - 2014-06-04 09:43 -0500
    Re: OT: This Swift thing Skip Montanaro <skip@pobox.com> - 2014-06-04 09:24 -0500
      Re: OT: This Swift thing Mark H Harris <harrismh777@gmail.com> - 2014-06-04 09:53 -0500
        Re: OT: This Swift thing Terry Reedy <tjreedy@udel.edu> - 2014-06-04 18:18 -0400
          Re: OT: This Swift thing Mark H Harris <harrismh777@gmail.com> - 2014-06-04 18:23 -0500
            Re: OT: This Swift thing Terry Reedy <tjreedy@udel.edu> - 2014-06-04 22:43 -0400
              Re: OT: This Swift thing Steven D'Aprano <steve@pearwood.info> - 2014-06-05 08:39 +0000
                Re: OT: This Swift thing Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2014-06-05 18:52 +1000
                Re: OT: This Swift thing Dennis Lee Bieber <wlfraed@ix.netcom.com> - 2014-06-05 08:27 -0400
                Re: OT: This Swift thing Rustom Mody <rustompmody@gmail.com> - 2014-06-05 05:56 -0700
                Re: OT: This Swift thing Steven D'Aprano <steve+comp.lang.python@pearwood.info> - 2014-06-05 15:12 +0000
                Re: OT: This Swift thing Rustom Mody <rustompmody@gmail.com> - 2014-06-05 08:39 -0700
                Re: OT: This Swift thing Rustom Mody <rustompmody@gmail.com> - 2014-06-05 08:44 -0700
                Tabs (was Re: OT: This Swift thing) Terry Reedy <tjreedy@udel.edu> - 2014-06-05 15:05 -0400
                Re: Tabs (was Re: OT: This Swift thing) Terry Reedy <tjreedy@udel.edu> - 2014-06-05 18:23 -0400
                Re: Tabs (was Re: OT: This Swift thing) Dennis Lee Bieber <wlfraed@ix.netcom.com> - 2014-06-05 20:52 -0400
        Re: OT: This Swift thing CHIN Dihedral <dihedral88888@gmail.com> - 2014-06-15 03:08 -0700
    Re: OT: This Swift thing Michael Torrie <torriem@gmail.com> - 2014-06-04 09:00 -0600
    Re: OT: This Swift thing Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2014-06-05 01:26 +1000
  Re: OT: This Swift thing Kevin Walzer <kw@codebykevin.com> - 2014-06-03 19:39 -0400
    Re: OT: This Swift thing Sturla Molden <sturla.molden@gmail.com> - 2014-06-04 01:53 +0200
  Re: OT: This Swift thing Andrea D'Amore <anddamNOALPASTICCIODICARNE+gruppi@brapi.net> - 2014-06-04 09:47 +0200

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