Path: csiph.com!usenet.pasdenom.info!aioe.org!news.stack.nl!newsfeed.xs4all.nl!newsfeed2a.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 0.085 X-Spam-Evidence: '*H*': 0.83; '*S*': 0.00; 'default.': 0.09; 'received:80.91': 0.09; 'received:80.91.229': 0.09; 'received:gmane.org': 0.09; 'received:list': 0.09; 'spaces': 0.09; 'admonitions': 0.16; 'character.': 0.16; 'finney': 0.16; 'received:80.91.229.3': 0.16; 'received:plane.gmane.org': 0.16; 'rules.': 0.16; 'sane': 0.16; 'simplicity,': 0.16; 'subject:Line': 0.16; 'value.': 0.19; 'saying': 0.22; 'header:User-Agent:1': 0.23; "aren't": 0.24; 'stick': 0.24; 'decide': 0.24; 'values': 0.27; 'header:X-Complaints-To:1': 0.27; 'characters': 0.30; 'especially': 0.30; 'that.': 0.31; 'indentation': 0.31; 'writes:': 0.31; 'display': 0.35; 'editor': 0.35; 'no,': 0.35; 'subject:?': 0.36; 'should': 0.36; 'so,': 0.37; 'ben': 0.38; 'needed': 0.38; 'to:addr:python-list': 0.38; 'ability': 0.39; 'obtain': 0.39; 'to:addr:python.org': 0.39; 'received:org': 0.40; 'simple': 0.61; 'valuable': 0.63; 'more': 0.64; 'readers': 0.68; 'rendering': 0.68; 'results': 0.69; '8bit%:21': 0.69; 'to,': 0.72; 'special': 0.74; 'attractive': 0.81; 'characters,': 0.84; 'complex,': 0.84; 'krish': 0.84; 'received:125': 0.84; 'subject:Using': 0.84; 'victor': 0.84; 'woods,': 0.84; 'treatment': 0.95 X-Injected-Via-Gmane: http://gmane.org/ To: python-list@python.org From: Ben Finney Subject: Re: Maintaining Maximum Line Length When Using Tabs Instead of Spaces? Date: Mon, 08 Dec 2014 15:52:06 +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:MH2UN44vZ8mhf2zXiVwA5pe8KN0= 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: 28 NNTP-Posting-Host: 2001:888:2000:d::a6 X-Trace: 1418014504 news.xs4all.nl 2932 [2001:888:2000:d::a6]:53589 X-Complaints-To: abuse@xs4all.nl Xref: csiph.com comp.lang.python:82103 Aahan Krish writes: > It's just that I don't like arbitrary rules. IMHO, spaces aren't > "better than" tabs, and people should refrain from saying that. Simplicity has value. The rule “use four spaces for indentation” is simple to stick to, and simple to obtain sane display results by default. Using U+0009 characters for indentation is objectively more complex, because of the addition of all the special treatment of U+0009 characters, and especially the admonitions needed to readers not to use the attractive editor features of customising U+0009 rendering. So, you may decide the simplicity is less valuable than the ability to change the rendering of this special U+0009 character. But, if one values that simplicity, then U+0020 characters *are* better than U+0009 characters for indentation. So, no, I will not refrain from saying that. -- \ “You can be a victor without having victims.” —Harriet Woods, | `\ 1927–2007 | _o__) | Ben Finney