[patch] ChangeLog width 74 -> 80

[patch] ChangeLog width 74 -> 80

[Jan Kratochvil]

Hi,

currently ChangeLog has Emacs rule for 74 columns which is also documented at:
	http://sourceware.org/gdb/wiki/ContributionChecklist
	ChangeLog standard max-line-length is 74.

Plus code comments should be formatted to 72 columns (unwritten rule,
I haven't found it anywhere) and code should be formatted to 80 columns.

One has to reconfigure editor several times a minute, what about unifying
everything to 80 columns (including the comments formatting).  80 columns is
already a narrow column on the left of the screen on displays nowadays.


Jan


gdb/
2013-06-18  Jan Kratochvil  <jan.kratochvil@redhat.com>

	* ChangeLog: Change fill-column rule from 74 to 80.

--- a/gdb/ChangeLog
+++ b/gdb/ChangeLog
@@ -7060,7 +7060,7 @@ For older changes see ChangeLog-2012.
 Local Variables:
 mode: change-log
 left-margin: 8
-fill-column: 74
+fill-column: 80
 version-control: never
 coding: utf-8
 End:

Re: [patch] ChangeLog width 74 -> 80

[Pedro Alves]

On 06/18/2013 04:04 PM, Jan Kratochvil wrote:
> Hi,
> 
> currently ChangeLog has Emacs rule for 74 columns which is also documented at:
> 	http://sourceware.org/gdb/wiki/ContributionChecklist
> 	ChangeLog standard max-line-length is 74.
> 
> Plus code comments should be formatted to 72 columns (unwritten rule,
> I haven't found it anywhere) and code should be formatted to 80 columns.
> 
> One has to reconfigure editor several times a minute, what about unifying
> everything to 80 columns (including the comments formatting).  80 columns is
> already a narrow column on the left of the screen on displays nowadays.

I really don't care that much about the precise width, but
I'll note that 74 is hardcoded in most if not all ChangeLogs
in the src tree:

$ find . -name "ChangeLog*" | xargs grep fill-colu | wc -l
79

It may be simpler to go with the flow than coming up with
an exception...

74 is the default column width in emacs' changelog mode,
so it seems the explicit setting is just trying to making
sure everyone (that uses emacs) is using the default width,
even if one has it overridden in their .emacs file.

-- 
Pedro Alves

Re: [patch] ChangeLog width 74 -> 80

[Jan Kratochvil]

On Tue, 18 Jun 2013 17:24:04 +0200, Pedro Alves wrote:
> 74 is the default column width in emacs' changelog mode,
> so it seems the explicit setting is just trying to making
> sure everyone (that uses emacs) is using the default width,
> even if one has it overridden in their .emacs file.

That depends whether GDB still should workaround Emacs bugs or if GDB can be
fixed for modern editors.


Jan

Re: [patch] ChangeLog width 74 -> 80

[Pedro Alves]

On 06/18/2013 04:30 PM, Jan Kratochvil wrote:
> On Tue, 18 Jun 2013 17:24:04 +0200, Pedro Alves wrote:
>> 74 is the default column width in emacs' changelog mode,
>> so it seems the explicit setting is just trying to making
>> sure everyone (that uses emacs) is using the default width,
>> even if one has it overridden in their .emacs file.
> 
> That depends whether GDB still should workaround Emacs bugs or if GDB can be
> fixed for modern editors.

No reason to attach a straw man.  If you want to argue for
80 columns, please do so without.  I was merely stating facts,
and linking them into what I believe is the rationale for the
existing explicit setting.  That is, the setting in the file overrides
a different default width a user may have configured in his emacs,
therefore, the setting in the ChangeLog file makes the width
consistent for emacs users).

Nobody said anything about bugs.  Nor is emacs a non-modern editor.

As I said, I really don't care that much about the precise width.
It'd be nice to have it changed consistently across the tree
though.

-- 
Pedro Alves

Re: [patch] ChangeLog width 74 -> 80

[Jan Kratochvil]

On Tue, 18 Jun 2013 17:42:04 +0200, Pedro Alves wrote:
> Nobody said anything about bugs.  Nor is emacs a non-modern editor.

I do not understand why you have mentioned Emacs in the first place, it seems
irrelevant for GDB development.

I find correct to update existing Emacs rules to comply with the specification
but I do not think it matters to mention Emacs when deciding what should be
the GDB standard.


> As I said, I really don't care that much about the precise width.
> It'd be nice to have it changed consistently across the tree
> though.

One should define first what is "the tree", currently it contains many
directions which seems irrelevant for GDB decisions to me (tcl, texinfo,
newlib, rda, ...).

And even in that case GDB already contains Coding Style in gdbint.texinfo
specific only to gdb/ so unifying the ChangeLog standard across the tree
(whatever that means) is only that "nice to have", not a requirement.


Jan

Re: [patch] ChangeLog width 74 -> 80

[Pedro Alves]

On 06/18/2013 04:47 PM, Jan Kratochvil wrote:
> On Tue, 18 Jun 2013 17:42:04 +0200, Pedro Alves wrote:
>> Nobody said anything about bugs.  Nor is emacs a non-modern editor.
> 
> I do not understand why you have mentioned Emacs in the first place, it seems
> irrelevant for GDB development.

Aw, come on, you serious?

The patch does:

 --- a/gdb/ChangeLog
 +++ b/gdb/ChangeLog
 @@ -7060,7 +7060,7 @@ For older changes see ChangeLog-2012.
  Local Variables:
  mode: change-log
  left-margin: 8
 -fill-column: 74
 +fill-column: 80

You surely know that's an emacs setting.  And I said:

 "74 is the default column width in emacs' changelog mode,
 so it seems the explicit setting is just trying to making
 sure everyone (that uses emacs) is using the default width,
 even if one has it overridden in their .emacs file."

There's your connection.

And we were chatting on irc about where does the 74 come
from too...

> I find correct to update existing Emacs rules to comply with the specification
> but I do not think it matters to mention Emacs when deciding what should be
> the GDB standard.

Sigh.  Straw man.

Whatever we end up with, emacs will do the right thing, given
"fill-column: XX" in the file, so again, I really don't personally
care what the width is.  Yes, I agree that requiring different widths
for different things is silly.

>> As I said, I really don't care that much about the precise width.
>> It'd be nice to have it changed consistently across the tree
>> though.
> 
> One should define first what is "the tree", currently it contains many
> directions which seems irrelevant for GDB decisions to me (tcl, texinfo,
> newlib, rda, ...).

Sure, the things outside src/gdb/ that are part of gdb as well:

src/, src/bfd/, src/include/, src/include/gdb/, etc.

> And even in that case GDB already contains Coding Style in gdbint.texinfo
> specific only to gdb/ so unifying the ChangeLog standard across the tree
> (whatever that means) is only that "nice to have", not a requirement.

Sure.  I did say "it'd be nice", didn't I?

I'm all for consistency, so on my part, if this results in
better consistency, go for it.  Please update
gdb/testsuite/ChangeLog gdb/doc/ChangeLog too though.

-- 
Pedro Alves

Re: [patch] ChangeLog width 74 -> 80

[Jan Kratochvil]

On Tue, 18 Jun 2013 18:09:29 +0200, Pedro Alves wrote:
> The patch does:
> 
>  --- a/gdb/ChangeLog
>  +++ b/gdb/ChangeLog
>  @@ -7060,7 +7060,7 @@ For older changes see ChangeLog-2012.
>   Local Variables:
>   mode: change-log
>   left-margin: 8
>  -fill-column: 74
>  +fill-column: 80
> 
> You surely know that's an emacs setting.

The patch was there to update the Emacs setting as it would no longer match
the coding standard (if the 80 columns get approved).

I could also post an equivalent patch removing the Emacs setting instead.
But such patch would be more difficult to get through and it would be also
rather off-topic to what the mail was trying to do.


> >> As I said, I really don't care that much about the precise width.
> >> It'd be nice to have it changed consistently across the tree
> >> though.
> > 
> > One should define first what is "the tree", currently it contains many
> > directions which seems irrelevant for GDB decisions to me (tcl, texinfo,
> > newlib, rda, ...).
> 
> Sure, the things outside src/gdb/ that are part of gdb as well:
> 
> src/, src/bfd/, src/include/, src/include/gdb/, etc.

OK, the tree from default CVS checkout of virtual directory "gdb".


> I'm all for consistency, so on my part, if this results in
> better consistency, go for it.

Great.


> Please update gdb/testsuite/ChangeLog gdb/doc/ChangeLog too though.

True.  I will post a new patch.


Thanks,
Jan

Re: [patch] ChangeLog width 74 -> 80

[Joel Brobecker]

FWIW, I find 80 characters to be too long, and more difficult to read.
I thought 74 characters was a good compromise, so why not standardize
on that?

-- 
Joel

[cancel] [patch] ChangeLog width 74 -> 80

[Jan Kratochvil]

On Tue, 18 Jun 2013 23:09:10 +0200, Joel Brobecker wrote:
> FWIW, I find 80 characters to be too long, and more difficult to read.
> I thought 74 characters was a good compromise, so why not standardize
> on that?

On Wed, 19 Jun 2013 08:38:39 +0200, Yao Qi wrote:
> Yes, we have large screen display nowadays, but a 80-character line
> is too long to read, for me.

Canceling this patch to rather keep the status quo before it has more serious
consequences than I could imagine.


Jan

Re: [patch] ChangeLog width 74 -> 80

[Yao Qi]

On 06/18/2013 11:04 PM, Jan Kratochvil wrote:
> 80 columns is
> already a narrow column on the left of the screen on displays nowadays.

Yes, we have large screen display nowadays, but a 80-character line
is too long to read, for me.

-- 
Yao (齐尧)