From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Path: news.gmane.org!not-for-mail From: David Kastrup Newsgroups: gmane.emacs.devel Subject: Re: Docstring line length Date: Wed, 21 Dec 2005 20:57:41 +0100 Message-ID: <85r7869qa2.fsf@lola.goethe.zz> References: <200512210013.jBL0D5S11887@raven.dms.auburn.edu> <877j9ybef4.fsf@olgas.newt.com> <87wthyjm6l.fsf-monnier+emacs@gnu.org> NNTP-Posting-Host: main.gmane.org Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii X-Trace: sea.gmane.org 1135197868 11776 80.91.229.2 (21 Dec 2005 20:44:28 GMT) X-Complaints-To: usenet@sea.gmane.org NNTP-Posting-Date: Wed, 21 Dec 2005 20:44:28 +0000 (UTC) Cc: Bill Wohler , emacs-devel@gnu.org Original-X-From: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Wed Dec 21 21:44:22 2005 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 1EpAnX-00046w-2Z for ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org; Wed, 21 Dec 2005 21:42:55 +0100 Original-Received: from localhost ([127.0.0.1] helo=lists.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1EpAoU-0002dm-SH for ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org; Wed, 21 Dec 2005 15:43:54 -0500 Original-Received: from mailman by lists.gnu.org with tmda-scanned (Exim 4.43) id 1EpAnm-0002Q9-UM for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Wed, 21 Dec 2005 15:43:11 -0500 Original-Received: from exim by lists.gnu.org with spam-scanned (Exim 4.43) id 1EpAnl-0002P6-47 for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Wed, 21 Dec 2005 15:43:09 -0500 Original-Received: from [199.232.76.173] (helo=monty-python.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1EpAnk-0002Ov-Qg for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Wed, 21 Dec 2005 15:43:08 -0500 Original-Received: from [199.232.76.164] (helo=fencepost.gnu.org) by monty-python.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.34) id 1EpAr6-0001ip-R7 for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Wed, 21 Dec 2005 15:46:36 -0500 Original-Received: from localhost ([127.0.0.1] helo=lola.goethe.zz) by fencepost.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.34) id 1EpAkj-0002cq-LB; Wed, 21 Dec 2005 15:40:02 -0500 Original-Received: by lola.goethe.zz (Postfix, from userid 1002) id 01DA21C460AF; Wed, 21 Dec 2005 20:57:41 +0100 (CET) Original-To: Stefan Monnier In-Reply-To: <87wthyjm6l.fsf-monnier+emacs@gnu.org> (Stefan Monnier's message of "Wed, 21 Dec 2005 14:18:53 -0500") User-Agent: Gnus/5.11 (Gnus v5.11) Emacs/22.0.50 (gnu/linux) 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:48174 Archived-At: Stefan Monnier writes: >> Since TTYs have been 80 characters for decades, it is the best >> standard. Indeed, the only standard. > > There are also issues of legibility which make it undesirable to use lines > longer than 80 chars unless a significant portion is devoted to whitepspace > (e.g. indentation, but note that excessive indentation usually leads to > unreadable code and it's then preferable to extract the inner code into its > own function). Remember that the original punch card design (where the 80 is from) had 6 columns in front and 8 in the back for different purposes, making for a total of 66 material columns, which is rather close to what book designers recommend as a good line length for a human reader. Whatever. Let's move on. -- David Kastrup, Kriemhildstr. 15, 44793 Bochum