Path: csiph.com!usenet.pasdenom.info!aioe.org!news.stack.nl!newsfeed.xs4all.nl!newsfeed4.news.xs4all.nl!xs4all!newsgate.cistron.nl!newsgate.news.xs4all.nl!post.news.xs4all.nl!not-for-mail Return-Path: X-Original-To: python-list@python.org Delivered-To: python-list@mail.python.org X-Spam-Status: OK 0.047 X-Spam-Evidence: '*H*': 0.91; '*S*': 0.00; 'column': 0.07; 'subject:code': 0.07; '*is*': 0.09; 'lines.': 0.09; 'received:80.91': 0.09; 'received:80.91.229': 0.09; 'received:gmane.org': 0.09; 'received:list': 0.09; 'sure,': 0.09; 'windows': 0.15; 'finney': 0.16; 'operation.': 0.16; 'received:80.91.229.3': 0.16; 'received:plane.gmane.org': 0.16; 'subject:?)': 0.16; 'subject:Line': 0.16; 'help.': 0.21; 'header :User-Agent:1': 0.23; 'merge': 0.24; 'stick': 0.24; 'helpful': 0.24; 'people,': 0.24; 'regardless': 0.24; 'header:X-Complaints- To:1': 0.27; 'point': 0.28; 'technology.': 0.30; 'especially': 0.30; 'code': 0.31; 'lines': 0.31; 'comparison': 0.31; 'constant': 0.31; 'writes:': 0.31; 'themselves': 0.32; 'text': 0.33; 'reader': 0.33; 'subject: (': 0.35; "can't": 0.35; 'display': 0.35; 'beyond': 0.35; 'but': 0.35; 'there': 0.35; 'two': 0.37; 'ben': 0.38; 'somebody': 0.38; 'window': 0.38; 'to:addr:python-list': 0.38; 'little': 0.38; 'ability': 0.39; 'to:addr:python.org': 0.39; 'received:org': 0.40; 'how': 0.40; 'even': 0.60; 'read': 0.60; 'length': 0.61; 'matter': 0.61; 'become': 0.64; 'more': 0.64; 'different': 0.65; 'great': 0.65; 'relatively': 0.65; 'biggest': 0.67; 'readers': 0.68; 'limit': 0.70; 'technology,': 0.70; 'choose.': 0.84; 'received:125': 0.84; 'subject:Using': 0.84; 'subject:limits': 0.84; 'subject:source': 0.84; 'unknowingly': 0.84; 'cognitive': 0.91 X-Injected-Via-Gmane: http://gmane.org/ To: python-list@python.org From: Ben Finney Subject: Reasons for source code line length limits (was: Maintaining Maximum Line Length When Using Tabs Instead of Spaces?) Date: Mon, 08 Dec 2014 15:44:40 +1100 References: Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit X-Gmane-NNTP-Posting-Host: jigong.madmonks.org X-Public-Key-ID: 0xAC128405 X-Public-Key-Fingerprint: 517C F14B B2F3 98B0 CB35 4855 B8B2 4C06 AC12 8405 X-Public-Key-URL: http://www.benfinney.id.au/contact/bfinney-pubkey.asc X-Post-From: Ben Finney User-Agent: Gnus/5.13 (Gnus v5.13) Emacs/24.4 (gnu/linux) Cancel-Lock: sha1:p/LSFOWBRq/NY41t20jk8Ge3zAc= X-BeenThere: python-list@python.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.15 Precedence: list List-Id: General discussion list for the Python programming language List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Newsgroups: comp.lang.python Message-ID: Lines: 29 NNTP-Posting-Host: 2001:888:2000:d::a6 X-Trace: 1418013892 news.xs4all.nl 2905 [2001:888:2000:d::a6]:42912 X-Complaints-To: abuse@xs4all.nl Xref: csiph.com comp.lang.python:82099 jtan writes: > One reason why you would want max length 79 is because of working with > terminals. That reason is decreasingly relevant as terminals become virtual, in a display window that can be much larger if we choose. Much more relevant is the ability to have two or even three code windows side-by-side, for comparison during a merge operation. For this purpose, a 75–80 column limit is a great help. But regardless of display technology, the biggest reason to stick to a limit like 80 or less is: reader technology. The ability for humans to comprehend long lines of text is poor, and there *is* a cognitive point beyond which it's not helpful to have longer lines. That line-length limit is different for different people, and many readers (and especially code writers) will fool themselves that they can read longer lines while unknowingly harming their comprehension. But for sure, it remains relatively constant across generations of humans, no matter how the display capacity increases. -- \ “If you can't annoy somebody there is little point in writing.” | `\ —Kingsley Amis | _o__) | Ben Finney