[Twisted-Python] getting rid of semantic newlines

[HawkOwl]

> On 5 Mar 2015, at 09:14, Glyph Lefkowitz <glyph at twistedmatrix.com> wrote:
> 
> I find the "semantic newlines" standard which we have been attempting to enforce for documentation a constant source of annoyance.
> 
> Ostensibly, the purpose of using semantic newlines is to reduce the size of diffs.  However, given that we have oceans of documentation _not_ using this style, we are unlikely to reap that benefit any time soon.  Also, unlike code, documentation rarely needs small spot fixes; a fix to a document should result in changes elsewhere within the sentence or paragraph.
> 
> In pursuit of this questionable benefit, we have to accept the following annoyances:
> 
> 	• It's inconsistent with pretty much every other Sphinx project out there.  Python lays out an 80-column maximum for Sphinx documents, the same as code: https://docs.python.org/devguide/documenting.html#use-of-whitespace and an inspection of pretty much every other Sphinx project out there shows this style is consistently followed.
> 	• It's inconsistent with the coding standard and requires special explanation in the docs.  I was prompted to write this message by attempting to review <https://twistedmatrix.com/trac/ticket/7786>.
> 	• It requires special editor configuration.  ReST mode in emacs, vim, and sublime text expect to wrap paragraphs at 80 characters and keeping the semantic newlines where they're supposed to be has no tool support and involves avoiding other bits of tool support around re-flowing.  It also looks bad in an editor, with a ragged right edge.
> 	• It looks bad in online code browsers; long sentences horizontally scroll or wrap.
> 
> I think this style might have made sense ago 10 years ago in HTML, but with present-day RST it seems to go strongly against the grain.
> 
> Would anyone else like to make our documentation style-guide more harmonious with existing standards?  Anyone opposed?
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> -glyph
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Welllll, I am opposed, obviously :) I think that it works better in the (some trivial, some non-trivial) RST docs I've written, but, I'm just one person, so, YMMV.

However, I defer (ha), as those are real annoyances, and maybe the Twisted docs will never indeed reap the benefits of cleaner documentation diffs/reorganisation in the way, that, for example, my book will.

- Hawkie
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