Tab wars revisited (was Re: Python indentation)

[Steve Lamb]

On 2004-07-07, Peter Hansen <peter at engcorp.com> wrote:
> Istvan Albert wrote:
>> Yeah, yeah I know that this or that editor has a shortcut enabled via
>> CTRL+ALT+INSERT+SPACE+double-click+W and that will do the job in one
>> keystroke, 

> *Any* decent editor can be configured to inject spaces up to the
> next defined tab-stop when TAB is hit.  By definition, therefore,
> any editor that cannot is broken.

    What Istvan is using is better known, to me at least, as "the vi
argument".  IE, it was best for people to learn vi over another editor because
one could be stuck with nothing but vi to do editing with since all unixes
came with vi stock.  Whatever would someone do if they were incapable of using
their preferred editor and stuck *only* with vi!?

    Nevermind that there are now several well used flavors of unix which do
not come stock with vi or, at the very least, only vi.  And some of the
situations that the people would create.  "What if you only had a laptop, an
install disc for intel solaris and were stuck on a stranded isle with no
network access to get anything else!?  You really need to conserve battery
power so you can't waste time learning vi then but you need it to write the
perfect program to calculate the best method of communication using firewood.
YOU DON'T KNOW VI!!!  WHAT WOULD YOU DO!!!!!  AIYEEEEEE!!!!"  Ok, I may be
exagerrating a tiny bit but only a tiny bit.  

    Personally I've not been in a situation where I haven't had a decent
editor to program with in the past decade or two.  I use spaces for just the
reason you gave; a SPACE is a SPACE is a SPACE.  Anyone who's worried about
how many keystrokes they're going to expend because they're programming Python
on a laptop on a deserted isle in the middle of the pacific with only notepad
really needs to reexamine their priorities.

    Oh, and for the record, I can tweak the collective noses of the vi
zealots who came up with such absurd and convoluted reasonings on why everyone
simply MUST learn vi because I use vim.  ;)

-- 
         Steve C. Lamb         | I'm your priest, I'm your shrink, I'm your
       PGP Key: 8B6E99C5       | main connection to the switchboard of souls.
-------------------------------+---------------------------------------------