Re: [Xen-devel] [PATCH v11 5/9] xen/x86: use DECLARE_BOUNDS as required

[Ian Jackson <ian.jackson@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Stefano Stabellini writes ("Re: [PATCH v11 5/9] xen/x86: use DECLARE_BOUNDS as 
required"):
> On Wed, 6 Mar 2019, Jan Beulich wrote:
> > Is the line wrapping really needed here?
> 
> It would end at 80 characters exactly otherwise. I am happy to do as you
> prefer.

Certainly I prefer lines to end strictly less than 80 characters and
preferably even shorter.  My mailer/editor produces wrap damage for
exactly-80-character lines.

I think this wrapping was introduced by Stefano after a prompt from
me.

Jan, it is quite unfortunate that you are replying to Stefano to
disagree with things that Stefano did because I suggested them, rather
than replying to my patch comments.  We must not put Stefano in the
middle of a disagreement between different committers.

On this style question, while I have an opinion, I don't consider
myself a maintainer, so the hypervisor maintainers' answer is
definitive.


Nevertheless, I will have one go at trying to convince Jan:

Note that:

 - When code is turned into a patch, an extra character is added for
   the diff +/-.  That means that 80-column code becomes 81 columns
   wide.

 - When a patch is quoted for review in email, two (usually) extra
   quoting characters are added ('> ') for each level of reply,
   so 80-column code becomes 83 or 85 (or more) columns wide.

 - One purpose of the line length limit is to fit within a
   conventional 80-column text terminal window (or at least, to
   minimise the number of lines which overflow such a window)

 - In an 80 column ssh session, simple representations are only
   capable of unambiguously displaying lines of up to 79 characters.

 - Therefore the total available code width which can be displayed
   unambiguously in an 80-column ssh session, within a singly quoted
   patch, is 76 characters.  Longer lines produce wrap damage.

To me would seem to imply that a *code* line length limit of 76 or 74
characters should be usual.  Certainly it seems churlish to object to
patches where the new code is wrapped to avoid lines >76.

Ian.

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