Re: [Docutils-users] Why smart quotes by default ?

[Guenter M. <mi...@us...>]

On 2019-12-21, Wes Hurd wrote:

> [-- Type: text/plain, Encoding:  --]

> Hi,

> Just out of curiosity, why does docutils use smart quotes by default ?

Actually, in Docutils smartquotes__ is an opt-in.

Maybe you mixed up Docutils and Sphinx or anothere add-on?

__ https://docutils.sourceforge.io/docs/user/config.html#smart-quotes

> Any programmer should know code and smart quotes don't mix (when they
> experience it), 

True.

> and documentation cannot be expected to put all code snippets in code
> blocks.

Here, opinions differ.

> Why create potential usability issues with smart quotes ?
> e.g. https://github.com/readthedocs/readthedocs.org/issues/6459

> IMO, the sane default would be to *not* use smart quotes.

Agreed. Therefore this is what Docutils does and recommends__ ...

__ file:///usr/local/src/docutils-git-svn/docutils/docs/user/smartquotes.html#why-you-might-not-want-to-use-smart-quotes-in-your-documents


Günter