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From: David Brown <david.brown@hesbynett.no>
Newsgroups: comp.lang.c
Subject: Re: Which code style do you prefer the most?
Date: Wed, 26 Feb 2025 20:45:27 +0100
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On 26/02/2025 17:47, Scott Lurndal wrote:
> David Brown <david.brown@hesbynett.no> writes:
>> On 26/02/2025 15:39, Bradley K. Sherman wrote:
>>> Just do your best to keep it neat and under 80 columns.
>>>
>>
>> Neat, yes.  80 columns, no - unless you are living in the previous century.
>>
>> Lines that are too long are hard to read, but the idea that 80 columns
>> is a good number or should be a hard limit is /long/ outdated.  About
>> 100 - 120 columns is a better fit for a lot of code, letting you use
>> sensible identifiers without excessively splitting logical lines into
>> multiple physical lines.
> 
> I tend to prefer the 80 column constraint.  I use vim with
> both horizontal and vertical splits to work on a codebase with
> several hundred source files;  80-column lines are much easier
> to read in that environment, where each split may only be 80 columns wide
> with two or three vertical splits available on a wide (16x9) screen.
> 
> Makes it easly to move between files/splits using the keyboard, especially
> useful over ssh.

I also work with multiple files on-screen at the same time, split in 
various ways.  I also work with ssh and remote files, and use 
command-line editors on occasion.

80 columns is /not/ a magic number that works well in such situations. 
Sometimes I want more files on-screen at a time, in which case 80 
columns is perhaps too wide.  Usually, it is a little too narrow - you 
end up splitting lines artificially in a way that reduces legibility.

If you find that 80 columns works well for you, fine - use 80 columns. 
I've nothing against rules or styles based on what works for any given 
person, or even if it's just personal preference.  But I don't think 
much of a rule that exists primarily because of hardware limitations 40 
years ago.