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Re: ChangeLog conventions: fill-column


From: Kim F. Storm
Subject: Re: ChangeLog conventions: fill-column
Date: Wed, 24 May 2006 00:46:51 +0200
User-agent: Gnus/5.11 (Gnus v5.11) Emacs/22.0.50 (gnu/linux)

"Robert J. Chassell" <address@hidden> writes:

> There is at least one rationale besides the 500 year old one having to
> do with the abilities or inabilities of your and my eyes -- even with
> lots of interline spacing, a long line makes it hard to discover the
> beginning of the next line.

ChangeLogs have 8 chars of indentation on every line, so they can be longer
than normal.  Also, detecting the next line is typically not a problem
in change logs as continued lines are quite rare - and they _don't_ start
with a left parenthesis.

>
> Besides that rationale, the problem that effects me is most frequently
> -- more frequently than I like -- is that some one quotes an item in a
> message to my friend Joe and he quotes it in a message to me.  Quotes
> are supposed to reflect what the original writer said and not be
> corrupted by filling or anything like that (although they often are).
>

How often do you qoute and re-quote a ChangeLog entry?

> I hate to say it, but you really do not want a fill-column of more
> than 72.  70 is the standard based on regular computer monitors.
> Printed books usually display less inter-line spacing and shorter
> lines.

With 8 chars indentation, fill-column = 72 + 8 = 80 should be ok then?

Anyways, we have used 79 chars for ages now, so the question is not
whether it makes sense, but how to enforce that policy.

Doing it in add-log means that it applies to non-emacs change logs too.
Doing it in emacs' own change logs applies to emacs only, so it will
not interfere with other projects.

So should we change the default fill-column for everybody, or just
for emacs?

-- 
Kim F. Storm <address@hidden> http://www.cua.dk





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