Newsgroups: comp.lang.scheme
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From: Erik Naggum <erik@naggum.no>
Subject: Re: Line numbers??!!!
Message-ID: <3004006385.026296@naggum.no>
Sender: sgml@netcom14.netcom.com
Organization: Naggum Software; +47 2295 0313
References: <95Mar2.104746pst."14632(4)"@alpha.xerox.com> <PK.95Mar9170136@kaulushaikara.cs.tut.fi>
Date: Sun, 12 Mar 1995 14:13:05 GMT
Lines: 21

[Kellom{ki Pertti]

|   Line numbers can be useful for us mere mortals.  I would much rather
|   see a Scheme compiler announce that there is something wrong at line
|   123 of my program, rather than at character position 23456.  Line
|   numbers may also be more useful for machines in some cases.  For
|   instance, if you compile a file under Emacs and come up with error
|   messages, Emacs can usually figure out where the offending lines are,
|   even if you add or delete text.  With character positions this would
|   surely soak up more cycles.

GNU Emacs keeps track of those line numbers because it remembers the
character positions of the newline characters, using "markers" that move
with the text.  please read the documentation before you speak, don't make
wild guesses.

#<Erik>
-- 
miracle of miracles.  look what the Net dragged in.

(posted from netcom.com because Norway gets news a week late these days.)
