From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Path: news.gmane.org!not-for-mail From: Bill Wohler Newsgroups: gmane.emacs.devel Subject: Re: indent-tabs-mode Date: Thu, 10 Aug 2006 09:45:40 -0700 Organization: Newt Software Message-ID: <23878.1155228340@olgas.newt.com> References: <17625.10780.183387.56951@kahikatea.snap.net.nz> <87zmedy23o.fsf@olgas.newt.com> NNTP-Posting-Host: main.gmane.org X-Trace: sea.gmane.org 1155228383 24007 80.91.229.2 (10 Aug 2006 16:46:23 GMT) X-Complaints-To: usenet@sea.gmane.org NNTP-Posting-Date: Thu, 10 Aug 2006 16:46:23 +0000 (UTC) Original-X-From: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Thu Aug 10 18:46:21 2006 Return-path: Envelope-to: ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org Original-Received: from lists.gnu.org ([199.232.76.165]) by ciao.gmane.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1GBDfa-00058X-1S for ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org; Thu, 10 Aug 2006 18:46:06 +0200 Original-Received: from localhost ([127.0.0.1] helo=lists.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1GBDfZ-0008Bq-G5 for ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org; Thu, 10 Aug 2006 12:46:05 -0400 Original-Received: from mailman by lists.gnu.org with tmda-scanned (Exim 4.43) id 1GBDfK-0008BP-Tt for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Thu, 10 Aug 2006 12:45:50 -0400 Original-Received: from exim by lists.gnu.org with spam-scanned (Exim 4.43) id 1GBDfI-0008B0-3s for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Thu, 10 Aug 2006 12:45:50 -0400 Original-Received: from [199.232.76.173] (helo=monty-python.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1GBDfH-0008Aw-Vm for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Thu, 10 Aug 2006 12:45:48 -0400 Original-Received: from [207.69.195.62] (helo=pop-altamira.atl.sa.earthlink.net) by monty-python.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.52) id 1GBDkE-00054o-H7 for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Thu, 10 Aug 2006 12:50:54 -0400 Original-Received: from h-68-165-3-110.snvacaid.dynamic.covad.net ([68.165.3.110] helo=olgas.newt.com) by pop-altamira.atl.sa.earthlink.net with esmtp (Exim 3.36 #1) id 1GBDfB-0003i2-00 for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Thu, 10 Aug 2006 12:45:41 -0400 Original-Received: by olgas.newt.com (Postfix, from userid 1000) id 50D3116FAD; Thu, 10 Aug 2006 09:45:40 -0700 (PDT) Original-Received: from olgas.newt.com (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by olgas.newt.com (Postfix) with ESMTP id 4BE7916F9C for ; Thu, 10 Aug 2006 09:45:40 -0700 (PDT) Original-To: emacs-devel@gnu.org In-reply-to: Comments: In-reply-to Richard Stallman message dated "Thu, 10 Aug 2006 12:27:22 -0400." X-Mailer: MH-E 8.0; nmh 1.1; GNU Emacs 22.0.50 X-Image-URL: http://www.newt.com/wohler/images/bill-diving.png Mail-Followup-To: emacs-devel@gnu.org X-BeenThere: emacs-devel@gnu.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5 Precedence: list List-Id: "Emacs development discussions." List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Original-Sender: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Errors-To: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Xref: news.gmane.org gmane.emacs.devel:58267 Archived-At: Richard Stallman wrote: > 8-column tab stops have been standard since before 1970. All editors > should assume this, and I am sure most of them do. I agree with your first sentence and wished the second sentence were true. Note that we're not just talking editors, but anything that can view source code including printers, terminals (and myriads of programs running there), and presentation programs. The source code might also be viewed by folks outside of your organization that you cannot control. More significant is that a handful of editors, Emacs excluded, also confuse indentation with the tab stop. Anyway, it's been my experience that the best practice in an heterogeneous environment is to specify an indent level and the use of spaces instead of hard tabs. More important, you can add a commit check for the presence of a hard tab to enforce your policies. Just my 2c. -- Bill Wohler http://www.newt.com/wohler/ GnuPG ID:610BD9AD