Re: [Simulavr-devel] Script to count tab spaces in source files

[ThomasK]

Hi Petr,

> Are you aware that spaces-vs-tabs issue is a holy war which has been
> going on for decades and remains unsolved?
> It is unlikely that anyone finds a solution people would like. Maybe
> if the solution was implemented in an editor.

Yes, I know it! :-) In the historical computer age ;-) it was necessary 
to use tab character, for example for some assembler programs. One one 
hand to hold it readable, on the other because of simple parsing 
algorythms. And it has saved space. In this time, where a computer main 
memory with 64 kbyte was a really good machine! :-) But not now in a 
time, where a Gbyte is the smallest counting unit. :-)

And, as Klaus wrote, modern editors have the ability to use space 
characters instead of tab characters or able to transform it to spaces 
and back, if somebody want's this. ;-) Btw. @ Klaus: I agree with you in 
using spaces and editor functionality to have a good formating. But I 
know some people, which think about such agreement as a attack to theirs 
personal freedom!

> What is SOFT-Tabs? Indenting using 4 spaces? (If yes, then it is
> indentation using spaces, not soft-tabs.)

Yes, but I think, that soft-tabs is a better and shorter ;-) description 
for that fact. Anyway, we can call it as we like, but should do it! :-)

> I think it is lame to commit changes which only change whitespace.
> Possible exception is to change few lines that are inconsistent with
> lines immediately above and below.
>
> I try to avoid changing indentation while changing code. Sometimes I slip.

:-) That's the holy tab war, I see! But to have a good formated source 
makes it more easy to understand it. Believe me, I have seen some 
horrible formatted source in my business. And the task: there are some 
problems, solve it! My first task was: reformating this source. (and 
this was a terrible work and the main work for this contract!) After 
this I was wondering, why this software was working! ;-)

And, for interest: we have about 9000 tabs in about 150 source files 
from about 320 source files total. Maybe some are necessary, but not 
all. :-)

cu, Thomas