Path: utzoo!utgpu!watmath!clyde!att!osu-cis!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!rutgers!bellcore!texbell!killer!pollux!ti-csl!tifsie!dennis From: dennis@tifsie.UUCP (Dennis Draheim) Newsgroups: comp.lang.c Subject: Tabs vs. Spaces Message-ID: <570@tifsie.UUCP> Date: 29 Dec 88 15:08:50 GMT References: Organization: TI Process Automation Center, Dallas Texas Lines: 36 in article , wjc@ho5cad.ATT.COM (Bill Carpenter) says: > In-reply-to: eric@snark.UUCP's message of 22 Dec 88 02:40:53 GMT > > In article eric@snark.UUCP (Eric S. Raymond) writes: > >> In general, I code in what I think of as "BSD/Allman" style with 4-space >> indent: So do I. That means there are at least 2 sane people in the world. :-) > Given the chance, I always object to indents termed in numbers of > spaces. ... Why? > Are there still text/code tools thought to be reasonable which do not > allow you to set your own sizes for tabs? How about printers? Especially SHARED printers? Resetting tab stops is a pain...it's easier to leave tab stops at 8 for those who use them. So if I want my code at 4-space indentation, I either have to 'expand -4' it every time I print it, or use spaces. > Even if we can't solve where the curly braces go, world peace, and > other hard problems, let's at least write this one off. Indenting is > done with tabs, right? Not spaces, Wrong. Tabs are inherently evil. Some equipment doesn't understand them, and much of the rest either assumes they are set at 8 or requires much initialization and reinitialization when shared between people whose ideas of the "right" indentation level vary. > and not combos of spaces and tabs, right? I'll give you this one. If there's anything worse than straight tabs, its a combination of the two. Guaranteed to drive anyone nuts in an editor.