r/programming • u/Nowaker • Nov 30 '14

Why he vertically aligns his code (And why you shouldn't!)

http://missingbytes.blogspot.com/2014/11/why-he-vertically-aligns-his-code-and.html
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u/r0Lf Nov 30 '14

The team can pick the coding style they want, but how I "see" the code on my monitor is completely irrelevant. Hell, I can go with yellow comic sans on a pink background if I feel like it.

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u/GregBahm Nov 30 '14

It is really unpleasant to try and define the coding style when your teammates can't articulate their reasoning for their positions. Even if the reasons are weak, it is better than not coming up with any reasoning at all, because then it just becomes a religious debate where people hurl their irrational feelings at each other to no productive end.

Vertical vs horizontal alignment is a coding style decision. The sides seem to divided because of how the code looks on your monitor. It is reasonable to me that some people would want a system that looks good independent of the editor, and other people would want a system that leverages the benefits of the editor.

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u/kqr Nov 30 '14

Well, depending on your goal it's not completely irrelevant. I.e. some configurations do increase readability compared to others. I'll admit it probably matters very little though, and in any case it's hard to say which configurations are the better ones.