Re: [Pan-users] Re: Indent test

[Duncan]

On Wed 02 Jul 2003 05:51, Wolf J. Flywheel posted as excerpted below:
> On Tuesday 01 July 2003 15:36, Michael A Chase wrote:
> > The problem did not appear in the original post, but when I follow-up
> > and rewrap, the first line of the second paragraph above is indented
> > with a TAB and following lines are not wrapped with it.
>
>       Yep, and it's something that annoys me about many news and mail editors.
> Neither Pan nor KMail has an option to replace tabs with spaces when
> composing.  Therefore, you get stupid line-wrapping when an app (such as
> Pan or KMail) counts a tab as *one* character instead of the number of
> spaces it represents.  I think both the editor and newsreader parts
> should have an option to replace tabs with spaces.
>
>       One of these days I'll get around to suggesting that on Bugzilla.  :)

OK, I see the problem now.  The problem with tab is that it IS only one 
character.  The number of spaces that would replace it is variable and 
application defined.  Again, that's one reason electronic messages tend to 
use block paragraphs, as the behavior for them is commonly defined, while 
that for tab is not.  Likewise, when presenting tables of data in an 
electronic message, tabs are discouraged as it will mean the columns likely 
won't line up on some readers because it's all wrong.  As long as a constant 
width font is used, data spaced to line up should remain aligned in other 
readers as well.  Of course, displaying with proportional fonts kills that, 
but that's why PAN allows one to toggle between proportional and fixed width 
with the press of a hotkey.

Now that I see what you are talking about, however, I agree, it DOES look odd, 
and yes, I HAVE seen it b4.  The explanation about PAN taking it as two 
separate paragraphs makes sense.  However, even if PAN were to get it 
"right", using tab is still not a good idea, as the definition of "right" 
will change from reader to reader, and that doesn't work well in what is 
otherwise a fairly common standards based display format, designed to work 
cross-platform.

-- 
Duncan - List replies preferred.
"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little
temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety."
Benjamin Franklin