Re: make mutt the `standard' mail reader
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On Mon, 18 Jan 1999 00:16:41 -0500, Avery Pennarun wrote:
>Hah, that's nice. You're telling me that Unix geeks know how to configure
>their mail software, at the same time as you're telling me that your
>nonstandard tab size is what's messing up your display.
Right, because I configured it to a tab size of two for a reason you,
yourself, state later in your message.
>Now let's try to make a table that fits all three formatting requirements.
You cannot.
>1) For only the old-style standard, we can use spaces to separate columns,
> or else use tabs as a replacement for jumping to the next multiple of 8.
> We can even use a combination of the two.
Using just spaces will work fine here.
>2) We want it to _also_ be viewable by Windows users. Since their fonts are
> proportional, we can't use spaces to separate columns; tabs aren't great
> either, but since they're generally guaranteed to be 8 spaces apart, you
> can do a good job if your columns are under 8 characters wide. You can
> start guessing after they get wider. But most importantly: you need
> tabs, not spaces, so that it looks the same for the old-style formatting
> people.
This will not work since a tab can be shorter than 8 perportional font
characters. ########, for example.
>3) Now we add support for your 2-char tab mailer. Actually, we can't,
> because we can't use spaces for separating columns (doesn't work in
> Windows) and tabs are different sizes between you and everyone else.
Spaces work fine here.
>In plain ASCII files with _no_ formatting information whatsoever,
>user-definable tabs are the bane of my existence.
Then don't use them.
>The only good fix I've found for tabbing is to treat ASCII TAB (char #9) and
>the "tab" concept as different things. Let ASCII TAB always be 8
>characters; that way, it's compatible with printers, xterms, vt100
>terminals, etc in their default modes.
Exactly my point and why I said that if the editor put spaces for tabs
things would work out.
>When I press the tab key while programming in xjed, though, I want it to
>indent my code by only 4 spaces, because I find that it looks nicer that
>way. So, xjed inserts 4 spaces when I press tab (actually, it autoindents
>the lines using multiples of 4 spaces, but you get the idea).
And for me this is where my tabs of 2 come from. I indent only two
spaces, not 4 or 8. I think anything more than 2 is flat out ugly. All
other formatting is done with spaces as I don't assume 8 is any magical
number. Generally it is columns seperated by three spaces, variable widths.
>ASCII text with 8 char tabs is severely flawed, but it's the only friend we
>have. Don't screw with it.
Yet you do screw with it with your programming preferences. Which is no
less than mine. But taking the tab (character) and replacing it with spaces
to make the tab (concept) is the correct way to go.
- --
Steve C. Lamb | I'm your priest, I'm your shrink, I'm your
ICQ: 5107343 | main connection to the switchboard of souls.
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