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From: cjp@vax135.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: Text file tab utility
Message-ID: <1814@vax135.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 23-Mar-87 18:53:14 EST
Article-I.D.: vax135.1814
Posted: Mon Mar 23 18:53:14 1987
Date-Received: Wed, 25-Mar-87 01:06:27 EST
References: <443@unisec.USI.COM>
Reply-To: cjp@vax135.UUCP (Charles Poirier)
Distribution: comp
Organization: AT&T Bell Labs, Holmdel, NJ
Lines: 16
Summary: Z flaw

In article <443@unisec.USI.COM> mark@unisec.USI.COM (Mark Rinfret) writes:
>(right?).  Finally, I have Z which, for all its faults, allows me to set
>tabs where I want them (4) and stores true tab characters in the file.

Well for my money, I like Z a lot but the tabs handliing is one thing
that's badly flawed.  I don't care a bit whether the file is a few
percent larger, but it is imperative that I be able to set 4-wide
indentation stops that *print* *out* *on* *my* *printer* as 4-wide.  My
printer has only 8-space tabs and it does not auto-wrap.  A major point
of 4-spaces indentation is that I can more easily read deeply nested
code.  What use is it if that info all falls into a blot in the 80th
column?  And it's a pain in the behind to run a reformatter for each
printing.  In short: Jim, please bring back the vi usage of ^T, ^D and
optimize out any superfluous spaces on the fly.

	Charles Poirier