[Python-Dev] Python -t

[Asbahr, Jason]

FYI, cross platform coding using MSDev on Windows and Emacs on Unix does
seem to turn up more problems with tabs and spaces.  It's a standard here to
use a 2 space indent level for tabs (even if it's a tab, MSDev presents it
as a two-space indent), not 4 or 8 space indents.  Users new to the language
have reacted amazingly negatively to errors caused by mix tab/space
problems.  So we've standardized on spaces and every developer has his or
her editor set to generate two actual spaces when the tab key is pressed.
Tab-free code.  ;-)

The tab/space issue is a subtle problem, and as Paul mentiond, we don't need
errors caused by it to draw the fire of the anti-whitespace camp.  

Jason Asbahr
Origin Systems, Inc.
jasbahr@origin.ea.com



-----Original Message-----
From: Paul Prescod [mailto:paul@prescod.net]
Sent: Thursday, February 10, 2000 1:50 PM
To: python-dev@python.org
Subject: Re: [Python-Dev] Python -t


Skip Montanaro wrote:
> 
> Actually, I suspect that many people are in the same boat I'm in.  I
rarely
> need to move code I write off of Unix systems.  I had to execute "python
> --help" yesterday to learn what -t means.  Modules that I made public ages
> ago with no consideration of the tab devil have elicited nary a peep about
> indentation problems from anyone.  (Of course, maybe nobody uses them and
> I'm simply deluding myself thinking they might be of interest to
> someone... ;-)

Mixing tabs and spaces is not all that likely to cause problems, I
admit. It's mostly in the hands of newbies starting from scratch (and
anti-whitespace zealots) that it will be a problem.

> Still, if all tabs or all spaces is the way to go and we can be reasonably
> sure that most/all people will have an indentation-friendly editor at
their
> disposal, then perhaps after a period of time -t should be the default.

Well everyone in the world has an editor that either does tabs or
spaces. Even "modern" (and I use the term VERY LOOSELY) versions of DOS
EDIT.COM seem to preserve spaces. It didn't before. Can you imagine that
there is still someone at Microsoft tweaking that code?

-- 
 Paul Prescod  - ISOGEN Consulting Engineer speaking for himself
"The calculus and the rich body of mathematical analysis to which it
gave rise made modern science possible, but it was the algorithm that
made possible the modern world."
        - from "Advent of the Algorithm" David Berlinski
	http://www.opengroup.com/mabooks/015/0151003386.shtml

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