From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Path: main.gmane.org!not-for-mail From: "Robert J. Chassell" Newsgroups: gmane.emacs.devel Subject: Re: Source code formatting: line length limit? Date: Sat, 25 Jan 2003 13:26:33 +0000 (UTC) Sender: emacs-devel-bounces+emacs-devel=quimby.gnus.org@gnu.org Message-ID: References: <84ptqlflp7.fsf@lucy.is.informatik.uni-duisburg.de> Reply-To: bob@gnu.org NNTP-Posting-Host: main.gmane.org X-Trace: main.gmane.org 1043501252 21733 80.91.224.249 (25 Jan 2003 13:27:32 GMT) X-Complaints-To: usenet@main.gmane.org NNTP-Posting-Date: Sat, 25 Jan 2003 13:27:32 +0000 (UTC) Cc: emacs-devel@gnu.org Return-path: Original-Received: from quimby.gnus.org ([80.91.224.244]) by main.gmane.org with esmtp (Exim 3.35 #1 (Debian)) id 18cQLL-0005eP-00 for ; Sat, 25 Jan 2003 14:27:31 +0100 Original-Received: from monty-python.gnu.org ([199.232.76.173]) by quimby.gnus.org with esmtp (Exim 3.12 #1 (Debian)) id 18cQOa-0001Ey-00 for ; Sat, 25 Jan 2003 14:30:52 +0100 Original-Received: from localhost ([127.0.0.1] helo=monty-python.gnu.org) by monty-python.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.10.13) id 18cQMV-0004jF-05 for emacs-devel@quimby.gnus.org; Sat, 25 Jan 2003 08:28:43 -0500 Original-Received: from list by monty-python.gnu.org with tmda-scanned (Exim 4.10.13) id 18cQM0-0004EQ-00 for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Sat, 25 Jan 2003 08:28:12 -0500 Original-Received: from mail by monty-python.gnu.org with spam-scanned (Exim 4.10.13) id 18cQLX-0003QM-00 for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Sat, 25 Jan 2003 08:27:45 -0500 Original-Received: from megalith.rattlesnake.com ([140.186.114.245] helo=localhost) by monty-python.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.10.13) id 18cQKS-0002RF-00 for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Sat, 25 Jan 2003 08:26:36 -0500 Original-Received: by rattlesnake.com via sendmail from stdin id (Debian Smail3.2.0.114) Sat, 25 Jan 2003 13:26:33 +0000 (UTC) Original-To: kai.grossjohann@uni-duisburg.de (Kai =?iso-8859-1?q?Gro=DFjohann?=) In-reply-to: <84ptqlflp7.fsf@lucy.is.informatik.uni-duisburg.de> (kai.grossjohann@uni-duisburg.de) X-BeenThere: emacs-devel@gnu.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1b5 Precedence: list List-Id: Emacs development discussions. List-Help: List-Post: List-Subscribe: , List-Archive: List-Unsubscribe: , Errors-To: emacs-devel-bounces+emacs-devel=quimby.gnus.org@gnu.org Xref: main.gmane.org gmane.emacs.devel:11046 X-Report-Spam: http://spam.gmane.org/gmane.emacs.devel:11046 Until recently, I've implicitly assumed that lines should not exceed 79 or so columns. 70 columns is better, since that length enables readers to quote you readily and to send easily readable patches. Moreover, over the past half millenium, printers have found that people have difficulty swinging their eyes down to the next line when the line is too long or when the between-line spacing is too wide or too narrow. A fill-column of 70 works well with the usual between-line spacing on a computer screen. (Shorter lines work well with the usual between-line spacing of printed books.) As File: elisp, Node: Margins says As a practical matter, if you are writing text for other people to read, you should set `fill-column' to no more than 70. Otherwise the line will be too long for people to read comfortably, and this can make the text seem clumsy. .... The default value for `default-fill-column' is 70. While these remarks apply to people writing sentences and paragraphs, they also apply to people writing code. -- Robert J. Chassell Rattlesnake Enterprises http://www.rattlesnake.com GnuPG Key ID: 004B4AC8 http://www.teak.cc bob@gnu.org