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Did you ever wonder why magazines and newspapers use multiple columns? Because it's easier to read. When lines get too wide, it becomes harder to scan from the

Did you ever wonder why magazines and newspapers use multiple columns? Because it's easier to read. When lines get too wide, it becomes harder to scan from the end of one line to the beginning of the next. There's solid science behind that, based on both physiology and observation of effects. For text, the recommendation is generally as low as 50 characters or as high as 75. Yes, reading code is a bit different, but not so much different that the same principles don't apply. 80 wasn't chosen, or kept so long, arbitrarily. To overcome the issues with both readability and ability to support side-by-side diffs or multiple files on smaller monitors or for those with poorer eyesight, there'd have to be a supportable positive reason to go higher. So far all I've seen is personal preference and occasionally support of bad habits (e.g. "trying to do too much in a single line" as another commenter put it). I just don't find that very convincing.

hbaav6 8y ago
That argument falls apart when you consider indentation. Python code gets ugly fast when you’re just a few levels in.
- Daviey 8y ago
  If you are indenting too much, there is probably a better way of designing your code. (I mean that, i'm not trying to be rude)
ezoe 8y ago
As a generation who read text in flow layout from the start, multiple columns fixed layout is quite ugly, hard to read, shall be abolished from the world(especially academic world.)
- class4behavior 8y ago
  This arrangement exists because those are in paper format meant to be printed. The argument in favor of narrow-width columns still stands. But we do indeed need to acknowledge that most people read on digital devices now.
  - notacoward 8y ago
    Why does it matter? Does the physiology of the human eye change when we're looking at a screen instead of paper? What is it about screens that suddenly makes it easier to saccade back to the beginning of the next line?
soneil 8y ago
Exactly - there's a good reason why this article, arguing that we have huge monitors now, is still constrained to a max-width that takes up 28% of my screen's width. And it's not because we're still designing for an 800x600 constraint.

hbaav6 8y ago

That argument falls apart when you consider indentation. Python code gets ugly fast when you’re just a few levels in.

Daviey 8y ago
If you are indenting too much, there is probably a better way of designing your code. (I mean that, i'm not trying to be rude)

ezoe 8y ago

As a generation who read text in flow layout from the start, multiple columns fixed layout is quite ugly, hard to read, shall be abolished from the world(especially academic world.)

class4behavior 8y ago
This arrangement exists because those are in paper format meant to be printed. The argument in favor of narrow-width columns still stands. But we do indeed need to acknowledge that most people read on digital devices now.
- notacoward 8y ago
  Why does it matter? Does the physiology of the human eye change when we're looking at a screen instead of paper? What is it about screens that suddenly makes it easier to saccade back to the beginning of the next line?

soneil 8y ago

Exactly - there's a good reason why this article, arguing that we have huge monitors now, is still constrained to a max-width that takes up 28% of my screen's width. And it's not because we're still designing for an 800x600 constraint.