From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 MIME-Version: 1.0 In-Reply-To: <680C3DA2-9DBC-4524-8F6E-31885F9E7446@storytotell.org> References: <680C3DA2-9DBC-4524-8F6E-31885F9E7446@storytotell.org> Date: Thu, 13 Aug 2009 15:27:01 -0700 Message-ID: <3e1162e60908131527p385fc094n7721896b8dfc02f1@mail.gmail.com> From: David Leimbach To: Fans of the OS Plan 9 from Bell Labs <9fans@9fans.net> Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary=000e0cd299863bbf9804710d6f1c Subject: Re: [9fans] Using proportional fonts in Acme for Programming Topicbox-Message-UUID: 476115e6-ead5-11e9-9d60-3106f5b1d025 --000e0cd299863bbf9804710d6f1c Content-Type: text/plain; charset=windows-1252 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable On Thu, Aug 13, 2009 at 10:55 AM, Daniel Lyons wrot= e: > > On Aug 13, 2009, at 3:14 AM, Aaron W. Hsu wrote: > > So, I was browsing around the other day looking at Acme resources, and I >> discovered an old post from 1995 wherein someone advocated the use of >> proportional fonts for programming in Acme. This surprised me, to say th= e >> least. He even went as far as to mention that SML was the language they = were >> using, and had managed to get a decent indenting pattern for it that was >> just as readable, without messing things up for proportional font users. >> >> I have to admit that I'm a bit skeptical about whether such a technique >> actually works, and so, I thought I would pose some questions to you. >> > > Bjarne Stroustrup actually advocates this style in "The C++ Programming > Language." > > This discussion reminds me of this elastic tab stops concept: > > http://nickgravgaard.com/elastictabstops/ > > I don't think it made it into any editors, but it would support the kind = of > fancy alignment I like to have in my code while also supporting real font= s, > which I would prefer to use. > > Thirdly, would you continue using proportional width fonts in cases like >> Lisp code, where you very often see something like the following indenta= tion >> scheme, and how would you resolve these indentation problems with >> proportional width fonts if you did continue to use them? >> >> (let ([foo bar] >> [something else]) >> (some-func (called again) >> (with fun indentation) >> (and yet) >> (another))) >> > > > I bet you could set up Emacs to use a proportional font. It can do > anything, right? :) > > I'd love it if Acme or Plan 9 had good support for some kind of Lisp > variant. Acme has good enough support for Lisp in that I can edit the program buffer= , and then re-load it all in Acme via the "win" program. I use it with SBCL this way on my mac actually. Emacs + SLIME is pretty nice, but sometimes quite a bit more than I need. > > > =97 > Daniel Lyons > > > --000e0cd299863bbf9804710d6f1c Content-Type: text/html; charset=windows-1252 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

On Thu, Aug 13, 2009 at 10:55 AM, Daniel= Lyons <fusi= on@storytotell.org> wrote:

On Aug 13, 2009, at 3:14 AM, Aaron W. Hsu wrote:

So, I was browsing around the other day looking at Acme resources, and I di= scovered an old post from 1995 wherein someone advocated the use of proport= ional fonts for programming in Acme. This surprised me, to say the least. H= e even went as far as to mention that SML was the language they were using,= and had managed to get a decent indenting pattern for it that was just as = readable, without messing things up for proportional font users.

I have to admit that I'm a bit skeptical about whether such a technique= actually works, and so, I thought I would pose some questions to you.

Bjarne Stroustrup actually advocates this style in "The C++ Programmin= g Language."

This discussion reminds me of this elastic tab stops concept:

=A0http://nickgravgaard.com/elastictabstops/

I don't think it made it into any editors, but it would support the kin= d of fancy alignment I like to have in my code while also supporting real f= onts, which I would prefer to use.

Thirdly, would you continue using proportional width fonts in cases like Li= sp code, where you very often see something like the following indentation = scheme, and how would you resolve these indentation problems with proportio= nal width fonts if you did continue to use them?

=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0(let ([foo bar]
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0[something else])
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0(some-func (called again)
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0(with fun indentation)
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 (and yet)
=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 (another)))


I bet you could set up Emacs to use a proportional font. It can do anything= , right? :)

I'd love it if Acme or Plan 9 had good support for some kind of Lisp va= riant.

Acme has good enough support for Lis= p in that I can edit the program buffer, and then re-load it all in Acme vi= a the "win" program. =A0I use it with SBCL this way on my mac act= ually.

Emacs + SLIME is pretty nice, but sometimes quite a bit= more than I need.


=A0


=97
Daniel Lyons



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