Path: utzoo!utgpu!watmath!clyde!att!osu-cis!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!husc6!rutgers!bellcore!texbell!sneaky!gordon
From: gordon@sneaky.TANDY.COM (Gordon Burditt)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.questions
Subject: Re: Latest indent request
Message-ID: <5516@sneaky.TANDY.COM>
Date: 19 Dec 88 02:24:59 GMT
References: <9125@rpp386.Dallas.TX.US> <9149@ihlpb.ATT.COM> <80360@sun.uucp> <2414@ficc.uu.net> <755@rabbit1.UUCP>
Reply-To: gordon@sneaky.UUCP (Gordon Burditt)
Organization: Gordon Burditt
Lines: 31

In article <755@rabbit1.UUCP> robert@rabbit1.UUCP (Robert Oliver) writes:
>After working on many varied computers, operating systems, and terminals,
>it's my opinion that tabs should not be stored in files and expanded
>upon output.
Yecch!
...
>PROPOSITIONS
>   II.  STORING TABS IN FILES ISN'T USEFUL
...
>SUPPORTING ARGUMENTS
...
>  2.  TRANMISSION SAVINGS IS MINIMAL
...
>  6.  ONLY MINIMAL SPACE SAVINGS WHEN TABS ARE STORED
...
I don't care much about transmission savings or file space savings.  
I want tabs in files for editing purposes.  If it is necessary to add 
or delete a conditional or loop, I want to be able to add or delete 
1 tab stop, not to have to count spaces.

# define BAR	72	/* Cost of a BAR as a percentage of a BARF */
# define FOOM	02000	/* Bit in dp->missile.control for self-destruct */
             ^       ^  tabs
If it is necessary for me to change the value of BAR from 72 to 2, 
I do NOT want the comment to move.  With a tab there, it won't.  With
spaces there, it will.  Granted, there are cases where running over a
tab stop will cause movement where I don't want it, but even these cases
are usually easier to fix with tabs there than spaces.

					Gordon L. Burditt
					...!texbell!sneaky!gordon