Had to choose between spaces and tabs for my first project. Picked wrong.

I was starting my first real Python project last week, a simple calculator app, and I ran into the whole spaces vs tabs debate. I went with tabs cause they seemed easier to type, just one key press you know. But then I shared my code on a forum and got roasted for 3 days straight because the editor messed up the formatting on every reply. I ended up spending an hour converting everything to 4 spaces. Has anyone else made a rookie choice that blew up in their face like that?

3 comments

3 Comments

finleyl395h ago

Honestly, did you also pick the chisel that hurts your hand?

christopherw3411h ago

I've been coding for about 15 years now and I notice this same pattern in woodworking, which I do on weekends. People get married to their first method and will fight about it forever. I remember a guy on a forum who insisted that all his chisels had to face handle-up in his toolbox because that's how his dad taught him, even though it dulled the edges faster. We humans just seem to attach ourselves to the first thing that works, whether it's tabs or left-handed screwdrivers, and it takes getting burned once to try something different.

the_rowan6h ago

Tbh that chisel thing is bonkers, but I've met a guy who refused to use a table saw sled because he thought clamping was "real woodworking". Caught his hand in the blade twice before he finally gave in and built one.