From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Path: news.gmane.org!not-for-mail From: "Robert J. Chassell" Newsgroups: gmane.emacs.devel Subject: Re: Man-width on terminals Date: Thu, 8 Nov 2007 03:04:04 +0000 (UTC) Message-ID: References: <87ejf17e85.fsf@jurta.org> Reply-To: bob@rattlesnake.com NNTP-Posting-Host: lo.gmane.org X-Trace: ger.gmane.org 1194491065 21648 80.91.229.12 (8 Nov 2007 03:04:25 GMT) X-Complaints-To: usenet@ger.gmane.org NNTP-Posting-Date: Thu, 8 Nov 2007 03:04:25 +0000 (UTC) To: emacs-devel@gnu.org Original-X-From: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Thu Nov 08 04:04:26 2007 Return-path: Envelope-to: ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org Original-Received: from lists.gnu.org ([199.232.76.165]) by lo.gmane.org with esmtp (Exim 4.50) id 1Ipxgs-00081p-1Z for ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org; Thu, 08 Nov 2007 04:04:22 +0100 Original-Received: from localhost ([127.0.0.1] helo=lists.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1Ipxgh-0005TW-1E for ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org; Wed, 07 Nov 2007 22:04:11 -0500 Original-Received: from mailman by lists.gnu.org with tmda-scanned (Exim 4.43) id 1Ipxgd-0005TR-Ra for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Wed, 07 Nov 2007 22:04:07 -0500 Original-Received: from exim by lists.gnu.org with spam-scanned (Exim 4.43) id 1Ipxgb-0005TF-5y for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Wed, 07 Nov 2007 22:04:07 -0500 Original-Received: from [199.232.76.173] (helo=monty-python.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1Ipxgb-0005TC-2k for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Wed, 07 Nov 2007 22:04:05 -0500 Original-Received: from cpe-69-204-164-144.nycap.res.rr.com ([69.204.164.144] helo=rattlesnake.com) by monty-python.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.60) (envelope-from ) id 1Ipxga-0000iF-Jk for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Wed, 07 Nov 2007 22:04:04 -0500 Original-Received: by rattlesnake.com via sendmail from stdin id (Debian Smail3.2.0.115) Thu, 8 Nov 2007 03:04:04 +0000 (UTC) In-reply-to: <87ejf17e85.fsf@jurta.org> (message from Juri Linkov on Thu, 08 Nov 2007 02:54:52 +0200) X-detected-kernel: by monty-python.gnu.org: Linux 2.6 (newer, 1) 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:82785 Archived-At: ... allow terminals using all available horizontal space ... That does not make much sense since the fix does not seem to increase inter-line whitespace along with line length. The purpose of limiting line lengths is to prevent needing too much inter-line whitespace. Readers tend to lose track of where they are -- unless there is enough inter-line white space for whatever length of line they use. This does not apply to all readers, of course, just to most. Printers have found that out over the past five hundred years. That is why books have lines that are no more than twice or so the length of an alphabet (that measure is an old printer's rule of thumb). With more inter-line whitespace, you can have longer lines. The maximum reasonable length for the contents of a line with lots of inter-line whitespace turned out to be about 70 characters. Computer terminals have the whitespace needed, so they are seldom narrow. And, for the same reason, terminals seldom had more than 80 characters. (That is also why cards on which FORTRAN was written had only 80 characters.) Of course, if you wish to make your manual page width be less than 70 characters, that is fine. I am against long lines that need more inter-line whitespace than many writers provide. -- Robert J. Chassell GnuPG Key ID: 004B4AC8 bob@rattlesnake.com bob@gnu.org http://www.rattlesnake.com http://www.teak.cc