Re: [tlug] shell question

["Stephen J. Turnbull" <stephen@example.com>]

>>>>> "Bruce" == Bruce Howard <bruce@example.com> writes:

    Bruce> Seems like the mistakes of Makefile structure all over
    Bruce> again.

Nitpick time.  The _mistake_ in Makefile syntax was making TAB vs SPC
significant.

The use of indentation for commands to be executed by make is a matter
of taste.  I like it even more for Makefiles than for Python, since
Makefiles have very shallow structure, whereas Python often runs off
the right side of the screen.

Whitespace distinctions are quite popular among some people, anyway.
Look at the common use (at least by Emacs users) of
`indent-according-to-mode' to detect syntax errors (when the line
moves, the syntax of the preceding line is suspect) even in C
programs.  There's also reStructuredText
(http://docutils.sourceforge.net -- admittedly mostly popular among
Pythonistas so it's not an independent observation) and the granddaddy
of them all: RFC 2822 header folding.

Not to mention quoting in email.

-- 
Institute of Policy and Planning Sciences     http://turnbull.sk.tsukuba.ac.jp
University of Tsukuba                    Tennodai 1-1-1 Tsukuba 305-8573 JAPAN
               Ask not how you can "do" free software business;
              ask what your business can "do for" free software.