From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 From: crossd@gmail.com (Dan Cross) Date: Wed, 8 Nov 2017 16:34:13 -0500 Subject: [TUHS] 80 columns ... In-Reply-To: <20171108212424.GA15911@mcvoy.com> References: <20171108210216.GB15276@mcvoy.com> <20171108212424.GA15911@mcvoy.com> Message-ID: On Wed, Nov 8, 2017 at 4:24 PM, Larry McVoy wrote: > On Wed, Nov 08, 2017 at 04:19:49PM -0500, Dan Cross wrote: >> On Wed, Nov 8, 2017 at 4:02 PM, Larry McVoy wrote: >> > On Wed, Nov 08, 2017 at 08:52:03PM +0000, ron minnich wrote: >> >> So, 80 column folks, would you find this >> >> a(b, >> >> c, >> >> d) >> >> >> >> more readable than >> >> a(b,c,d) >> > >> > yeah, I do. I work on thinkpad x220 sized machines which are just big enough >> > for two 80 column windows with a little left over. When I'm checking in code, >> > reviewing code, debugging code, I frequently want to see two versions of the >> > same file side by side. If you code wider than 80 columns it greatly reduces >> > the speed at which you can figure out what happened. >> >> The thing that sort of vexes me about these arguments is that the >> number 80 is so arbitrary. > > Not really. Programmers need windows side by side. Lots and lots of bit > mapped displays can handle 2 80 column windows at a reasonable font size. Lots of them can also handle two 100 column windows, or perhaps more realistically 82- or 85-column windows, but here's the thing that I don't buy about that argument: if given a large enough screen, proponents would claim that they needed 3 side-by-side windows instead of two. As a simple test, I can put two 100x75 windows side-by-side on my desktop here at work, using a font size big enough for my deteriorating eyesight. I can fit three 80x75 windows next to one another, but I can fit *4* 60-column windows next to each other. > And I made the point about side by side diff tools. But what about 3-way merge tools? > And I made the point about being able to read down the center and get the > rest through peripheral vision. > > Would I like wider? Not really, at this point the vast majority of the > code I look at, the man pages and other docs I look, they all fit in 80 > columns. Sure, you could pick something else but you are just fighting > reality. > > It's like video on phones. We still call it taping. Probably still will > in a 100 years. Where's the tape? In history. Language is a funny thing. Well, I better get back in the saddle and write some code. - Dan C.