Kent Johnson wrote: > Carl Banks wrote: > > Kent Johnson wrote: > >> Carl Banks wrote: > >>> Now, I think this is the best way to use modules, but you don't need to > >>> use modules to do get higher-level organization; you could use packages > >>> instead. It's a pain if you're working on two different classes in the > >>> same system you have to keep switching files; but I guess some people > >>> prefer to switch files rather than to scroll for some reason. > >> That would be me. I strongly prefer to switch files rather than scroll. > >> I use an editor that makes it easy to switch files. For me it is much > >> easier to switch between files than to scroll between two parts of a > >> file, and I don't lose my place when I switch back. I like to be able to > >> see things side by side. > > > > Man, I don't know you do it. > > > > Say I'm sitting there concentrating on programming something, and I see > > that I'll have to make a change in another file. All of a sudden, I > > have to recall some filename out of thin air. Totally breaks my train > > of thought, sometimes I space out trying to think of it because I have > > to cold-start an entirely different part of my brain. It's less of a > > mental distraction to just scroll. > > But then to go back to where you were, you have to scroll back and find > your place.
See, I find that to be a lot less of a mental disruption than recalling a filename on the spot. > For me, just a click or keystroke to restore the last file > with the cursor or selection exactly where I left it. And if I am going > back and forth between the two, each switch is equally easy after the > first (opening the file). Ok, but doesn't your editor have bookmarks? (I don't use them, because remembering a bookmark name is the same mental disruption for me as remembering a filename. Sometimes I use an interactive search will get me to where I want to go if it's more than a screen or two.) > > (BTW, any decent editor will let you view different positions of the > > same file side-by-side.) > > Right, at a cost of showing you half as much of the one you care about. I presume if you're looking at two different files side-by-side it's at the same cost? > Anyway, I'm not trying to convince anyone to change, just pointing out > that there are different styles of editing that make sense to those who > use them, if not to outside observers ;-) That's fine; I'm not knocking anyone's style. But maybe you should just leave it at, "I just prefer small files", and cease with the editor-based arguments. To be sure, there are probably editors out there that can load several files into the same buffer, which would mean I could avoid recalling filenames even when editing multiple files. (In fact, I think I'll look for such a solution the next time I find myself editing Java.) It's really not about the editor; I just think that the module is the best place for higher-level organization. But the package will do. Carl Banks -- http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list
