[rfc-i] tabs [was: sourcecode indentation]

[paul.hoffman at vpnc.org (Paul Hoffman)]

On 16 Feb 2016, at 6:30, Tony Hansen wrote:

>> On Feb 16, 2016, at 1:14 AM, Joe Hildebrand (jhildebr) 
>> <jhildebr at cisco.com> wrote:
>>
>> I think the current situation is pretty close to 2119's "SHOULD NOT". 
>>  You SHOULD NOT put a tab character in <sourcecode>, unless it is 
>> absolutely required in the target language.  To deal with this, we 
>> could add a tabs="true" attribute to <sourcecode>, and give an error 
>> if there's an unintended tab character.
>
> A light tweak would be tabs="8" if tabs are present and to be allowed, 
> and error if tabs is not defined.
>
>> Alternately, we could just say that tab-encrusted Makefile's aren't 
>> supported in an RFC, and always throw an error on tabs.  Tabs can be 
>> worked around in GNU make 
>> (https://www.gnu.org/software/make/manual/html_node/Special-Variables.html):
>>
>> .RECIPEPREFIX = >
>> all:
>>> @echo Hello, world
>
> Interesting.

+1 to "no tabs allowed at all", given that the only example given so far 
is makefiles and we have now seen why they are not needed.

--Paul Hoffman