Comment by 🕹️ skyjake

=> Re: "@skyjake Why does Lagrange normalize spacing in gemtext?..." | In: s/Lagrange

It ensures a uniform presentation of paragraphs. Sometimes people like to use two spaces after a sentence, for example. Keeping things uniform makes it easier to adapt the presentation to different displays, fonts, themes, etc. It also removes the possibilty to apply preformatting outside preformatted blocks, like indentations that one might want to use in lists to make them multi-level. This kind of creative expansions of Gemtext should be discouraged.

Tabs are a bit of a special case. Lagrange does try to maintain some tab stops and jump to those when it encounters a tab character (outside preformatted blocks, that is) but I can't recall if that code is currently working correctly or not.

In theory at least, tabs could be used to create tabular arrangements outside preformatted blocks, but these should be avoided because they break down when the line width gets too narrow.

A secret pro tip: Lagrange does not normalize all Unicode spaces. If you really want to, you can experiment with nonbreaking spaces and other specialized Unicode spaces, but it's probably not a great idea if you want your content to be correctly displayed everywhere.

=> 🕹️ skyjake [mod, sysop]

2024-11-28 · 7 weeks ago

2 Later Comments ↓

=> 💎 pista · Nov 28 at 14:11:

Two spaces after a full stop is the gift that typewriters will never stop giving.

=> 💎 pista · Nov 30 at 03:43:

Yep. That stupid rule which never existed in professional typesetting is one of the eternal gifts left to us by monospace typewriters, much like QWERTY layout, designed specifically to handicap typing speed so keys would not jam.

Original Post

=> 🌒 s/Lagrange

@skyjake Why does Lagrange normalize spacing in gemtext? The spec mentions this is up to the client. I'm curious what went into your decision here to remove tabs, etc

=> 💬 satch · 3 comments · 2024-11-28 · 7 weeks ago