[geeks] Web Browsers that Don't Suck

[Greg A. Woods]

[ On Friday, April 12, 2002 at 17:44:10 (-0400), Joshua D Boyd wrote: ]
> Subject: Re: [geeks] Web Browsers that Don't Suck
>
> And 132x24 is cheating.  Those functions are supposed to be 80 columns wide,
> no more.  Occasional 36 and rare 48 line functions are to be allow.  Using
> line saving tactics like:
>   if (x<0.0) x=0;
> or
>   for (int i=0; i<10; i++) c[i]*=a[i]*b;
> are encouraged.
> 
> At least that is my view.

I just can't stand programmers with your un-informed and dangerous
views!  ;-)

Why go to all the trouble, especially when it just causes bugs?!?!?!?

Scrunched lines are hard to read.

Folded lines are hard to read.

Identifier names that are shorter than is healthy are confusing.

Confusing and hard-to read code leads to bugs (at least so long as it's
not write-once code). 

Good coding style is all about making code easy to read.  If that means
forcing your fellow programmers to use some kind of device that supports
132 columns and more than 24-line functions then so be it.  There's
always been 132-column fan-fold paper (a good font still gets that many
columns on laser paper, at least in landscape mode :-), and these days
132 x 24 is probably the very least you can expect from any display
worth using for more than an hour at a time.

-- 
								Greg A. Woods

+1 416 218-0098;  <gwoods at acm.org>;  <g.a.woods at ieee.org>;  <woods at robohack.ca>
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