From: Charles Hixson <charleshixsn@...>
Date: 2003-08-13T11:08:24+09:00
Subject: Re: [Devculture] ruby question - try Python also (fwd)

MikkelFJ wrote:

> ...
>
>I tend to use either two or four spaces - in Ruby I tend to use only two
>spaces.
>Using three spaces makes it difficult to quickly add a new level between two
>other levels. And again this is also difficult if I had been using tabs.
>
>Typically have my editor set to autoexpand tabs to 4 spaces so I can either
>tab or hit space twice.
>
>Please don't flame - as I said this is a religous issue - I have just
>augmented my view upon request.
>
>Mikkel
>
For me a three space wide tab makes the indentation v. obvious.  I like 
that.  I also like, if the nesting starts getting too deep, being able 
to alter the indentation by only changing one value (the amount to 
indent with each tab) in the editor preferences.

Now I will grant you that one should try to avoid nesting things deeply 
enough to need to do that.  But sometimes it happens to me.    I 
generally refuse to use editors that convert tabs to spaces.  The two 
aren't equivalent, and sometimes, especially in strings, they are 
extremely distinct, and serve vastly different purposes.  E.g., when I 
write a CSV file, I use tabs for separators, and have commas a 
legitimate internal character.  (I also don't use quotes around string 
valued fields.  I find things easier to read and to parse that way.)

But the point is, in Ruby I can do this without worrying that I might 
change the meaning of the program.  I really dislike not having that 
certainty in Python.