From: Alan G I. <ai...@am...> - 2006-10-12 03:13:50
|
On Thu, 12 Oct 2006, Ben Finney apparently wrote:=20 > in Python code, a tab is not "equivalent to" any number of=20 > spaces. Python does no equivalence of tabs and spaces.=20 I agree that I should not have said "equivalence". I was=20 speaking only of visual representation: the PEP was only=20 relevant in making it clear that the intended stylistic=20 "equivalence" is between a tab and four spaces. For the interpeter, the 'equivalence' is quite different=20 (and indeed is roughly speaking 8 spaces). > An ASCII TAB character is an instruction to move=20 > horizontally to the next eight-column tab stop. This is all I disagreed with: this bald assertion. An ASCII tab character is a character code, not an instruction to do something. In certain settings it is treated like you say; in *many* others it is not. Your argument seems equivalent to saying that the an 'a'=20 must be an instruction to draw in a specific proportional=20 font, since that's what line printers did. > Additionally, an inclusion of (non-parsed) literal text in=20 > reST should also not be assumed to be Python code, nor any=20 > particular type of program code.=20 I agree. But when it *is* Python code, it should be=20 possible to get a nice representation, don't you agree? Right now that's a problem (for tab users). Cheers, Alan Isaac |