3 ms·

> can use proportional fonts with the first example too. what, how? Wouldn't the number of spaces you'd need to prefix lines 2 and 3 with vary between fonts?

Dylan16807 3y ago
Not if you don't care about "one" exactly lining up with "two". foo.bar(one two, three) //this is fine, and slight drift on different fonts is also fine I would have demonstrated in a proper proportional way but HN destroys NBSP.
- adastra22 3y ago
  That was the whole point.
  - Dylan16807 3y ago
    You dismissed the idea as "if you stop doing thing which benefit from monospaced fonts", suggesting that monospaced fonts are better in this situation. My argument is that both fonts are just as good in this situation, and monospaced fonts aren't benefiting here. You don't need monospaced fonts to use formatting 1, you can just choose formatting 1 and then use either kind of font. Doesn't that mean I disagree with your post?
    - adastra22 3y ago
      Having the "one" line up with the "two" is the benefit here, and the point of the monospaced font. If you don't care about that, fine. But objectively lots of people do.
      - Dylan16807 3y ago
        Well I'm saying that it does still line up in a reasonable sense, at least from the perspective of someone that would use a proportional font at all and isn't looking for a grid. It's important to note that I'm not comparing monospace versus proportional. I'm saying that "formatting 1 with proportional font" isn't really worse than "formatting 2 with proportional font". Both of them are going to have problems from someone that really likes monospacing.
        adastra22 3y ago
        "If you stop doing things which derive benefits from monospaced fonts, then you can get away with a proportional font."
        Dylan16807 3y ago
        No, that's the opposite of my point. "If you already decided to have a proportional font, you don't need to stop doing any things." My argument is that "need to stop doing X" is not true for either kind of font.

Dylan16807 3y ago

Not if you don't care about "one" exactly lining up with "two". foo.bar(one two, three) //this is fine, and slight drift on different fonts is also fine I would have demonstrated in a proper proportional way but HN destroys NBSP.

adastra22 3y ago
That was the whole point.
- Dylan16807 3y ago
  You dismissed the idea as "if you stop doing thing which benefit from monospaced fonts", suggesting that monospaced fonts are better in this situation. My argument is that both fonts are just as good in this situation, and monospaced fonts aren't benefiting here. You don't need monospaced fonts to use formatting 1, you can just choose formatting 1 and then use either kind of font. Doesn't that mean I disagree with your post?
  - adastra22 3y ago
    Having the "one" line up with the "two" is the benefit here, and the point of the monospaced font. If you don't care about that, fine. But objectively lots of people do.
    - Dylan16807 3y ago
      Well I'm saying that it does still line up in a reasonable sense, at least from the perspective of someone that would use a proportional font at all and isn't looking for a grid. It's important to note that I'm not comparing monospace versus proportional. I'm saying that "formatting 1 with proportional font" isn't really worse than "formatting 2 with proportional font". Both of them are going to have problems from someone that really likes monospacing.
      - adastra22 3y ago
        "If you stop doing things which derive benefits from monospaced fonts, then you can get away with a proportional font."
        Dylan16807 3y ago
        No, that's the opposite of my point. "If you already decided to have a proportional font, you don't need to stop doing any things." My argument is that "need to stop doing X" is not true for either kind of font.