[RFC] Characters per line: from punch card (80) to line printer (132) (was: [Patch][OpenMP/OpenACC/Fortran] Fix mapping of optional (present|absent) arguments)

[Jason Merrill]

On Thu, Dec 5, 2019 at 11:51 AM Michael Matz <matz@suse.de> wrote:

> Hello,
>
> (oh a flame bait :) )
>
> On Thu, 5 Dec 2019, Thomas Schwinge wrote:
>
> > So, I formally propose that we lift this characters per line restriction
> > from IBM punch card (80) to mainframe line printer (132).
> >
> > Tasks:
> >
> >   - Discussion.
>
> I object to cluttering code in excuse for using sensible function names or
> temporaries that otherwise can help clearing up code.  Using 132-char
> lines is cluttering code:
> - long lines are harder to read/grasp: vertical eye movement is easier
>   than horizontal, and source code should be optimized for
>   reading, not writing
> - long lines make it impossible to have two files next to each other at a
>   comfortable font size
> - long lines are incompatible with existing netiquette re emails, for
>   instance
>
> So, at least for me, that my terminals are 80 wide (but not x24) has
> multiple reasons, and the _least_ of it is because that's what punch cards
> had.
>

Agreed.  I work with two side-by-side terminals, one 80x50 and the other as
wide as fits in the rest of the screen, which currently happens to be
111x50.

Jason