Is 78 characters still a good option? Was: [Haskell-cafe] breaking too long lines

[Miguel Mitrofanov]

On 25 Apr 2009, at 18:34, Xiao-Yong Jin wrote:

> Miguel Mitrofanov <miguelimo38 at yandex.ru> writes:
>
>> On 24 Apr 2009, at 16:37, Loup Vaillant wrote:
>>
>>> 2009/4/23 Miguel Mitrofanov <miguelimo38 at yandex.ru>:
>>>> On 23 Apr 2009, at 12:17, Thomas Davie wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> Haskell is a very horizontal language, and to limit our horizontal
>>>>> space
>>>>> seems pretty weird.
>>>>
>>>> +1. I sometimes use lines up to 200 characters long, when I feel
>>>> they would
>>>> be more readable.
>>>
>>> 200 sounds awfully long. Do you have any example?
>>>
>> Something like
>>
>> newtype MyCoolMonad = MyCoolMonad (FirstTransformer  
>> (SecondTransformer
>> (ThirdTransformer Whatever))) deriving (Functor, Monad, FirstClass,
>> SecondClass, ThirdClass, SomeOtherClass)
>>
>> Nobody would be really interested in "deriving" clause, because it
>> basically says "derive everything possible". Therefore, it seems
>> pointless to move it to another line.
>
> You don't write lisp, do you?  Or probably it is just me.
> But I would prefer to write the line as
>
> newtype MyCoolMonad = MyCoolMonad (FirstTransformer
>                                   (SecondTransformer
>                                    (ThirdTransformer Whatever)))

Well, first impression I've got from this was that FirstTransformer,  
SecondTransformer and the rest are on the same level:

newtype MyCool Monad = MyCoolMonad (FirstTransformer)  
(SecondTransformer) (ThirdTransformer Whatever)

which is very confusing.

>    deriving (Functor, Monad,
>              FirstClass, SecondClass, ThirdClass, SomeOtherClass)

A lot of unnecessary information distracting the reader. It's better  
kept somewhere else, where it doesn't attract too much attention -  
like in the end of the line.