From: Kirk Haines <khaines@...>
Date: 2005-08-16T21:58:03+09:00
Subject: Re: ruby style question

On Tuesday 16 August 2005 6:27 am, Gavin Kistner wrote:

[talking about 80 character lines...]

> I think it's a nice initial goal, but I personally don't fret if half
> my lines are 100 characters long, and the occasional line tops 130 or
> more.

I generally try to keep my lines less than or close to 80 lines, as well, but 
it's not over any great concern about whether or not the lines will fit on 
someone else's screen.  Just as processor speeds climb and storage media 
capacities soar, screen resolutions have also increased, and with them, the 
usable line length has changed, too.  I used to believe that the 40 character 
wide Apple ][+ lines were perfectly reasonable, for example.  Technology is 
no great limit, unless one is coding on or reading code on a palm-sized 
computer.

My reasoning for generally trying to stay at 80 characters are that by 
sticking to some arbitrary limit, it helps me to think about how the code and 
the comments do look.  Comments that stick to an arbitrary limit are nicer 
looking and easier to read, and often if I have a line of code that is 
growing well beyond that arbitrary 80ish character limit, it's a signal to me 
that there might be a simpler approach or that I am probably writing a 
Faulkner style sentence when a Hemmingway style paragraph would probably be 
easier to read.  Like that sentence you just finished reading.  Sure, it's 
fine, but turning it into multiple sentences would be better for most 
readers.

It is just a general rule, though, and I violate it all the time.  For 
instance, if I am creating a chain of several method calls or doing something 
similar, it may be easier to understand a single long sentence instead of a 
paragraph of short sentences.

As with so many style issues, it comes down to personal taste.  Do what makes 
sense for you and your audience.


Kirk Haines