From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 From: Linus Torvalds Subject: Re: On Tabs and Spaces Date: Wed, 17 Oct 2007 11:54:11 -0700 (PDT) Message-ID: References: <634393B0-734A-4884-93E3-42F7D3CB157F@mit.edu> <471476B7.5050105@users.sourceforge.net> <8c5c35580710160204s5a4f9fb3j68c0a86c4d080cb7@mail.gmail.com> <47148F72.1090602@users.sourceforge.net> <1192548367.3821.4.camel@lt21223.campus.dmacc.edu> <3awb7zw6.fsf@blue.sea.net> <1192565900.6430.16.camel@athena> <20071017015109.303760cc@localhost.localdomain> <3A9408D5-2667-43A6-A0CE-C0720B3A3987@vicaya.com> <1192645509.6640.21.camel@athena> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=UTF-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: QUOTED-PRINTABLE Cc: git@vger.kernel.org To: Tom Tobin X-From: git-owner@vger.kernel.org Wed Oct 17 20:55:08 2007 Return-path: Envelope-to: gcvg-git-2@gmane.org Received: from vger.kernel.org ([209.132.176.167]) by lo.gmane.org with esmtp (Exim 4.50) id 1IiE2n-0005vf-DV for gcvg-git-2@gmane.org; Wed, 17 Oct 2007 20:55:01 +0200 Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org via listexpand id S1753550AbXJQSyt convert rfc822-to-quoted-printable (ORCPT ); Wed, 17 Oct 2007 14:54:49 -0400 Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org id S1753213AbXJQSyt (ORCPT ); Wed, 17 Oct 2007 14:54:49 -0400 Received: from smtp2.linux-foundation.org ([207.189.120.14]:57747 "EHLO smtp2.linux-foundation.org" rhost-flags-OK-OK-OK-OK) by vger.kernel.org with ESMTP id S1753131AbXJQSys (ORCPT ); Wed, 17 Oct 2007 14:54:48 -0400 Received: from imap1.linux-foundation.org (imap1.linux-foundation.org [207.189.120.55]) by smtp2.linux-foundation.org (8.13.5.20060308/8.13.5/Debian-3ubuntu1.1) with ESMTP id l9HIsBsV017490 (version=TLSv1/SSLv3 cipher=DHE-RSA-AES256-SHA bits=256 verify=NO); Wed, 17 Oct 2007 11:54:12 -0700 Received: from localhost (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by imap1.linux-foundation.org (8.13.5.20060308/8.13.5/Debian-3ubuntu1.1) with ESMTP id l9HIsBCh002885; Wed, 17 Oct 2007 11:54:11 -0700 In-Reply-To: <1192645509.6640.21.camel@athena> X-Spam-Status: No, hits=-2.717 required=5 tests=AWL,BAYES_00 X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.1.0-osdl_revision__1.47__ X-MIMEDefang-Filter: lf$Revision: 1.188 $ X-Scanned-By: MIMEDefang 2.53 on 207.189.120.14 Sender: git-owner@vger.kernel.org Precedence: bulk X-Mailing-List: git@vger.kernel.org Archived-At: On Wed, 17 Oct 2007, Tom Tobin wrote: >=20 > Or is "unix developers" code for "my sample size of one"? Well, let's put it this way: that "sample" is the one that started the=20 project. I got to pick the license. Are you going to argue about that too? I got= to=20 pick the way I wrote the code. Are you going to continue arguing about=20 that? The fact is, I don't see the people arguing for spaces having actually=20 *done* anything for git. So why are you arguing? > Interesting how you waver between "certain developers" and "me". I'm > convinced at this point that your argument comes down to "I can't use= my > favorite text editor with all-spaces, therefore all-spaces sucks". Umm. And I've *told* you that. The whole point is: - every single damn editor out there can handle tabs. - it's the default - end of story. What's so hard to understand?=20 > As for *disk space*? When we can measure cheap drives in sizable > fractions of *terabytes*, this simply isn't a serious argument. That disk-space translates into memory usage too, and into just being=20 technically the *inferior* choice. How hard is that to accept? If you have a choice between a technically=20 better solution, and a technically worse one, why are you arguing for t= he=20 worse one? > Yeah, can you believe some projects actually *survive* with an > all-spaces indentation rule? And ::gasp:: even *thrive*? Hey, I=CD=84'm not saying that others shouldn't use spaces. I'm saying = that=20 *git* should not, the same way the Linux kernel does not and will not. Why? Because tabs are better. You (or anybody else) have simply never=20 given any argument against that very simple argument. You try to push a= n=20 inferior solution. > Problems have been outlined, but since everything for you comes down = to > "anything that comes between me and microemacs sucks", rational > discussion breaks down. Don't talk about "rational discussion", since you don't even *have* any= =2E The starting point for any rational decision would be to explain why=20 changing tabs to spaces would actually improve anything at all. And you= =20 have yet to show *any* such argument, while I've shown arguments to the= =20 reverse. One big one being: the person who started the project and still actuall= y=20 *does* something for it actually cares. In contrast, your argument seems to be "I've not actually done anything= ,=20 but I want to paint the bikeshed pink". Linus