Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!usc!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!turnkey!orchard.la.locus.com!prodnet.la.locus.com!jfr
From: jfr@locus.com (Jon Rosen)
Newsgroups: comp.editors
Subject: Sticky Note Comments In Programs
Message-ID: <20903@oolong.la.locus.com>
Date: 28 Dec 90 21:29:59 GMT
Organization: Locus Computing Corp, Los Angeles
Lines: 33

I want to propose an idea (which I am sure might have already been
proposed previously, but what the hey, I haven't seen it before)...
 
I was reading a post in comp.emacs on yet another style of indentation
for C++ which talked about the issue of commenting every line of 
source code and how indentation eats up real estate in the program...
 
This has always been a problem... However it struck me as weird that
we continue to allow archaic physical concepts and restrictions that
are no longer even remotely valid to dictate the way we do things...
By this, I mean that we continue to use the old 80-column card
standard (and its 80-column wide glass-titty metaphor) to restrict
our thinking on comments, indentation and programming style...
 
Food for thought:  The "sticky note" concept (those little yellow
things from 3M) is a superb documentation concept and has already
made its way into the computer arena in the form of add-in products
for things like 1-2-3, Excel, Microsoft Word, etc.  In these add-ins,
the user can "open up" a "sticky note" anywhere in a file and 
type in comments about the spreadsheet cell, paragraph, chart, etc.
This seems like a wonderful concept to extend to programs... The
"sticky notes" are kept hidden but can reappear at the click of
a function key or mouse button... 
 
Of course, we would need several things, not the least of which would
be new types of file support, editor support and possibly compiler
support... This would also tend to limit the portability of a program
commented in this fashion... But the productivity increase might
be enough to offset these penalties...
 
Anyway, any comments?
 
Jon Rosen