Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!jarthur!usc!bbn.com!diamond.bbn.com!tcrowley
From: tcrowley@bbn.com (Terry Crowley)
Newsgroups: comp.soft-sys.andrew
Subject: Re: Dear Saint Andrew...
Message-ID: <14353@jade.BBN.COM>
Date: 25 Jul 90 14:05:36 GMT
References: <0adTPN8B0TlkM4PEF=@zany.EuroPARC.Xerox.COM> <sadUvIe0M2YtECXwVc@thumper.bellcore.com>
Organization: BBN Laboratories Incorporated, Cambridge, MA
Lines: 20


I've heard this argument for years that the reason Andrew doesn't do
tabs is because of the problems variable-width windows introduce.

I think the argument's kind of a crock.  There's an easily defined
behavior for what to do with tabs no matter what your linewidth is.
Word processor's have to deal with this because of the ability to
mix tabs and adjustments to the left and right margins and overall
page width.

Granted, tabs are kind of a pain (I speak from experience, having
implemented them in Slate (nee Diamond)), but variable size windows
don't introduce any insurmountable difficulties.

By the way, Slate handles the standard set of left justified,
right justified, centered, and decimal tabs, as well as doing
the "right thing" with tabs whether you're dealing with left-to-right
or right-to-left languages.

Terry Crowley