Jean-Michel Pichavant <jeanmic...@sequans.com> writes: > The 79 char limit purpose is to allow someone to read the code on a 80 > char terminal (and allow old printers to print the code).
There is a very good reason for a strict line width limit regardless of terminal size: scanning long lines is cognitively more difficult than scanning shorter lines. This doesn't mean we should keep reducing the length of our lines, of course; obviously there needs to be enough room on a line to be expressive. But it does mean that lines which are too long are not kind to the reader. Another good reason: Even if you have a large terminal, you will often need to compare distinct sections of code. Knowing that code won't exceed 80 columns means that you can lay several windows of code side-by-side, for a three-way merge, for example. -- \ “Anyone who believes exponential growth can go on forever in a | `\ finite world is either a madman or an economist.” —Kenneth | _o__) Boulding | Ben Finney -- http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list
