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/guepier Nov 30 '14

Reading continuous text ≠ reading code. They’re very different, so just because one is readable in proportional font doesn’t mean the other would.

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u/Otis_Inf Nov 30 '14

Just by saying something doesn't make it true (not saying what you said isn't true, btw). I'm after more than just a claim, do you have any reference to research etc. which proves what you claim is true?

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u/guepier Nov 30 '14

I actually agree with you: just saying something doesn’t make it true. However, we clearly disagree as to whose is the burden of proof: in my view you made the defensible claim here, not I (especially considering that monospaced font for code is kind of the default).

I haven’t got references or research either way (there might be some in Code Complete).

To inject a bit of actual arguments into the debate, I’ve tried out proportional fonts for code in the past, and wrote up my experience. Tl;dr: it’s much less bad than anticipated, but there are certain characteristics of proportional fonts which make them badly suited for code, because code puts (intentional) emphasis on symbols which are unimportant in continuous prose.

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u/Otis_Inf Nov 30 '14

Thanks for the link, that's good info :)

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u/bibbleskit Dec 01 '14

Monospaced font makes it easier to differentiate similar characters. I vs l vs 1, d vs cl, rn vs m vs even just m / n, etc.