[ On Wed, October 29, 1997 at 12:07:10 (+0000), Philip Hazel wrote: ]
> Subject: Re: # not in first column in many source headers
>
> My stance on the formatting is that I've been writing code that way for
> 30 years, starting with BCPL before C was ever thought of - and I'm
> *far* too old to change now! Once I retire, you lot can do what you
> like... :-)
If programs are meant to be read (as I too believe they should be), then
they should have a style that assists the reader. However if that
reader is primarily the author, as is far more often the case than for
other forms of reading material, then indeed the author should express
himself or herself in their most favourite personal style.
Oddly enough there are some aspects of programming style that *should*
have more to do with the process of publishing rather than the art of
writing. Unfortunately I think that because of the restrictive limits
of computer languages programmers have resorted to using elements of
style that really shouldn't be their concern. e e cummings is probably
the best example of a writer who forced restrictions on the language in
order to make other aspects of style become a part of the art of
writing. I just wish programmers weren't all trying to be e e cummings.
;-)
[Seriously though if we had better language based program manipulation
tools then these expressive style of programming would be totally under
the control of the reader, not the author, and maybe then there would be
more programmers writing programs in something like Knuth's <<Literate
Programming>> with the style in the content, not in the form.]
n
Othi
n
g can
s
urPas
s
the m
y
ster
y
of
s
tilLnes
s
--e e cummings
--
Greg A. Woods
+1 416 443-1734 VE3TCP <gwoods@???> <robohack!woods>
Planix, Inc. <woods@???>; Secrets of the Weird <woods@???>
--
* This is sent by the exim-users mailing list. To unsubscribe send a
mail with subject "unsubscribe" to exim-users-request@???
* Exim information can be found at http://www.exim.org/
