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From: cjp@vax135.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: Text file tab utility
Message-ID: <1821@vax135.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 30-Mar-87 17:42:31 EST
Article-I.D.: vax135.1821
Posted: Mon Mar 30 17:42:31 1987
Date-Received: Wed, 1-Apr-87 02:47:26 EST
References: <8703240644.AA00426@cory.Berkeley.EDU> <402@pttesac.UUCP>
Reply-To: cjp@vax135.UUCP (Charles Poirier)
Organization: AT&T Bell Labs, Holmdel, NJ
Lines: 18
Summary: more tab-8 defense

In article <402@pttesac.UUCP> vanam@pttesac.UUCP (Marnix van Ammers) writes:
>them internally as tab characters.  It's not the fault of Z if a particular
>printer forces tabs to be every 8 characters.  It's up to the editor, the
>printer driver (or printer itself) to allow the user to set tab stops
>wherever she wants.

I am not flaming here, but to defend my point:

Do you propose then that I also modify type, more, and every other
editor I occasionally use, as well as the printer device, to compensate
for Z's too-simple treatment of indents?  Sir, I claim that 8-space
tabs are the standard and variable-length tabs are a frill, a kludge,
and a hack.  Vi did it right.  I also claim that there is *no* saving
in file length by using 4-space tabs as opposed to all 8-space tabs
plus occasional runs of 4 spaces, for source code indented an average
of roughly 3 times or more per line.  (Analysis available on request.)

	Charles Poirier   vax135!cjp