tabs, and runoff whitespace (was; Re: replace-regexp, the byte-compiler, docstrings, and suggestions)

[Emanuel Berg]

Robert Thorpe <rt@robertthorpeconsulting.com> writes:

> In my opinion it's better to work this way: * Write
> a script to remove all of the tabs in all your
> personal file. Do that as a one-off operation * Set
> indent-tabs-mode so Emacs never generates new tabs.
> * Don't untab files before saving them.
>
> The advantage of this is that your own stuff will
> always be tab-clean but you can still cooperate with
> others who use VC.

Good general point, but as for me I didn't do anything
with other people since my first years at the
university. It sure is lonesome at the top... *sob*

But speaking even more broadly, why would anyone want
whitespace after the "end" of lines, or whitespace
after the "end" of files, or for that matter tabs
instead of whitespace?

I know tabs are needed in Makefiles but I suspect that
to be something implementation-related. I don't think
it would be impossible to program make to not have
that requirement. Perhaps someone already tried or
even succeeded...

If it doesn't make sense to have, why should the guy
who removes it adapt to the people who stick with it,
and not the other way around?

-- 
underground experts united