guys, can I recommend you start using a real IDE like Intellij? In the last 5 years of Java development, the use of spaces or tabs has never come up.
I really don't get this thread. Rakesh On Thu, Jul 1, 2010 at 4:32 PM, Kevin Wright <[email protected]> wrote: > It's basic ecology... > Tabs take up fewer characters than multiple spaces > fewer chars = smaller files = faster checkins, etc. > I wonder what the carbon footprint is of manufacturing all the HDD used > globally to store superfluous spaces? > > > On 1 July 2010 16:20, Tor Norbye <[email protected]> wrote: >> >> On Jul 1, 2:48 am, Mark Volkmann <[email protected]> wrote: >> > I'm surprised that all the replies to this thread are in favor of tabs >> > over spaces. >> >> I think many of us just don't feel like reopening this one; we've >> discussed this exact topic at least once and probably more than once >> on this forum, and certainly many times elsewhere. >> >> I predict that we will not reach agreement, and that this thread will >> go on forever, so I will just state my position once since I didn't >> see anyone else state the case for spaces only - and then I'll leave >> the thread alone. >> >> I am aware of two arguments for the mixed style (which only its >> supporters refer to as "The One True Indentation" Style or TOTI): >> >> 1. Tabs for indentation lets you quickly indent one level and dedent >> one level with the Tab character and the Delete key. Nobody seriously >> uses that argument anymore since all IDEs handle this automatically >> regardless of style -- e.g. pressing Tab is going to indent one level, >> and Shift+Tab is going to dedent one level. >> >> 2. "Users can set their own preferred indent size". This seems to be >> the main argument for the mixed style now, but: I just don't buy that >> use case. I guess the intention is to either (a) let you avoid >> horizontal scrolling if you're looking at horribly deep code, or (b) >> on a tiny screen, or (c) let you view code at an indentation level >> that is most comfortable to you yourself, if you are attached to say a >> 2-space indent, 3-space indent or an 8-space indent. >> >> For (a), rather than have an indent policy in your codebase to handle >> this, you shouldn't have any code that is so wide that it cannot be >> viewed properly with the standard (4 space in Java) indentation level. >> Break it up into subroutines. This will address (b) as well, though I >> don't think this is an important use case. This is 2010; people don't >> write code on tiny terminals anymore but solid IDEs on decent screens. >> >> For (c), I'm sorry but indentation size is only one tiny aspect of >> code style. Just because you can make a codefile indent in a familiar >> way, you're still going to have to view and accept the rest of the >> formatting in the file - spaces around operators and no spaces inside >> parentheses, no left braces on newlines, etc. Expanding tabs isn't >> going to make you feel at home; if you insist on reading code in your >> own style, you need to fully format it. Hopefully IDEs will soon let >> you read code formatted using your own style but behind the scenes >> retain the original code style and even transform your edits back to >> the original style. But for now, standard accepted practice is to >> continue whatever coding style the original source file is in (and >> make complete source file reformatting changes only as a separate >> dedicated checkin, not as part of other file edits), and playing >> tricks with indent size isn't going to make this meaningfully easier. >> >> As somebody else said, spaces and tabs are both invisible, so it's >> pretty easy for people to accidentally do the wrong thing. The minute >> somebody has indented one line with spaces in your scheme, it will >> look terrible for anyone trying to view the file with nonstandard tab >> settings (because for standard Java, one indent level is 4 spaces, so >> one tab = 4 spaces, whereas most traditional command line tools use 1 >> tab = 8 spaces). Yes, some of us use editor support for visualizing >> the differences -- Reinier uses semi-visible "show nonprintable >> chars"; I use a plugin to have tabs highlighted in red. But most >> developers don't do this, and it's pretty easy for things to >> accidentally break, when people use tools to make quick edits -- e.g. >> a file merge program, a different IDE where you haven't configured >> your settings yet -- and suddenly you have an inconsistently indented >> file. >> >> Without a more compelling reason than being able to indent code at >> your own depth, I just don't think mixing spaces and tabs is worth the >> potential trouble. >> >> -- Tor >> >> -- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >> "The Java Posse" group. >> To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. >> To unsubscribe from this group, send email to >> [email protected]. >> For more options, visit this group at >> http://groups.google.com/group/javaposse?hl=en. >> > > > > -- > Kevin Wright > > mail/google talk: [email protected] > wave: [email protected] > skype: kev.lee.wright > twitter: @thecoda > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "The Java Posse" group. > To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > [email protected]. > For more options, visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/javaposse?hl=en. > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "The Java Posse" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/javaposse?hl=en.
