Word wrap in the forum [closed]

JSWolf · 11-04-2007, 03:18 PM

I'm noticing more and more people are not allowing the forum software to do the word wrapping in the text editor. What they are doing it hitting return when their lines get to the right side of the text editor and not just keep typing so the editor wraps the lines. The short lines look rather annoying and can be hard to read sometimes. For example...

I'm noticing more and more people are not allowing the forum software to do the
word wrapping in the text editor. What they are doing it hitting return when
their lines get to the right side of the text editor and not just keep typing so the
editor wraps the lines. The short lines look rather annoying and can be hard to
read sometimes. For example...

See the difference? Which would you rather read? Me, I'd rather the word wrapped lines. It is so much easier on the eyes. So folks, please let the text editor do the wrapping. It will help you get your point across so much easier. Thanks!

bowerbird · 11-04-2007, 03:34 PM

i think you're talking about me.
i like to control my linebreaks.
it reminds you that i'm a poet.

-bowerbird

bowerbird · 11-04-2007, 03:37 PM

but it _would_ be nice if the layout of this website
were changed so that the width of the text column
resized when the browser-window was enlarged...

but, you know, maybe that's the _site_designer_
who's exercising his/her own _artistic_judgment_,
and who am i to tell him/her how it should be?...

-bowerbird

jbenny · 11-04-2007, 04:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bowerbird

i think you're talking about me.
i like to control my linebreaks.
it reminds you that i'm a poet.

-bowerbird

Must be ee cummings reincarnate. No capitalization.

Nate the great · 11-04-2007, 04:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jbenny

Must be ee cummings reincarnate. No capitalization.

I'm sure that's what he told his psychiatrist.

JSWolf · 11-04-2007, 06:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bowerbird

i think you're talking about me.
i like to control my linebreaks.
it reminds you that i'm a poet.

-bowerbird

it's not just you. There are others doing the same thing and it's not very nice to read.

JSWolf · 11-04-2007, 06:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bowerbird

but it _would_ be nice if the layout of this website
were changed so that the width of the text column
resized when the browser-window was enlarged...

but, you know, maybe that's the _site_designer_
who's exercising his/her own _artistic_judgment_,
and who am i to tell him/her how it should be?...

-bowerbird

You can change the forum skin in your options. Select liquid and then when you make your browser full screen, the properly word wrapping text will adjust.

tompe · 11-04-2007, 06:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JSWolf

See the difference? Which would you rather read? Me, I'd rather the word wrapped lines. It is so much easier on the eyes. So folks, please let the text editor do the wrapping. It will help you get your point across so much easier. Thanks!

Actually the one with shorter lines was much easier to read. The default length of a line is much too long since what you want is 60-70 characters per line maximum according to most typographical recommendations.

bowerbird · 11-05-2007, 02:11 AM

> You can change the forum skin in your options.

i didn't know that. thanks. i'll try it out...

-bowerbird

NatCh · 11-05-2007, 10:46 AM

It was a new option that came in with the server change ... April, maybe? Anyway, it's not an obvious thing, but it is really nice to have, since folks have different preferences on how they like to see things displayed.

nekokami · 11-05-2007, 11:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tompe

Actually the one with shorter lines was much easier to read. The default length of a line is much too long since what you want is 60-70 characters per line maximum according to most typographical recommendations.

I've read various guidelines on this and they don't all agree, but one nice thing about leaving the line-wrap to the browser is that the reader can adjust font size and window width to their own comfort, rather than being forced to live with what the author likes best.

bowerbird · 11-05-2007, 01:53 PM

nekokami said:
> one nice thing about leaving the line-wrap to the browser is that
> the reader can adjust font size and window width to their own comfort,
> rather than being forced to live with what the author likes best.

yeah, isn't it a pain when authors try to force their preferences on you?

i really hate that... :+)

-bowerbird

JSWolf · 11-05-2007, 02:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bowerbird

nekokami said:
> one nice thing about leaving the line-wrap to the browser is that
> the reader can adjust font size and window width to their own comfort,
> rather than being forced to live with what the author likes best.

yeah, isn't it a pain when authors try to force their preferences on you?

i really hate that... :+)

-bowerbird

Why is it you have to be this way? Why can't you post so it is best for most people to read what it is you post? Do you really want to be disliked for doing this on purpose? Is there any good reason you are doing this? Uing the Liquid theme, you can have the line look short like you seem to enjoy while the others can have the lines at whatever length they prefer. Let the forum software handle the user preferences instead of making a real mess.

bowerbird · 11-05-2007, 02:42 PM

i'm not sure why you seem to be taking it so _personally_, jon.

and i think you're missing _both_ the humor and the serious point.

i won't bother explaining the humor, because, you know,
if you have to explain it, then it ain't gonna work anyway...

the _serious_ point, though, is that self-expression matters.
if i see this as a form of self-expression, i am gonna do it...
and i'm not gonna compromise that because you want me to.

and the _flip_ side of this serious point is that it can be irritating
to a reader when their reading experience is constrained in ways
that they do not like. whether that constraint is produced by
an author, or a publisher, or a file-format, or any other way,
the end-result is reader irritation. and the lesson in all of that
is that digital text needs to be structured in such a fashion that
the _reader_ is in control of their own reading experience...

but we also need to understand that there's always going to be
a creative tension between the artist who wants to control the
experience of their creation, and the audience who receives it...

does the artist run a risk of losing the audience by insisting
the audience experience the creation as the artist intends it?
well, most definitely! the audience might leave! and so be it!
that act actively represents the fact that art is a relationship!

if people want to stop reading my posts, or turn them into
a big blotch of whitespace with the "ignore" command, fine!
i accept that as the risk that i run, with my self-expression...

do i _want_ to irritate people? well, heck no! but do i want to
buckle down into conformance to what _they_ want me to be?
well, heck no!

(and, as i sidenote, do i wonder why it's such a big deal? yes!)

you might want to construe this as a simple "wordwrap" policy,
but there are philosophical issues right underneath the surface.
philosophical issues that have _everything_ to do with e-books.

-bowerbird

JSWolf · 11-05-2007, 07:10 PM

Why can't you just set your browser so YOU get the tiny lines and we get what we want? How hard is that or maybe it's too hard. I am not sure.

11-04-2007, 03:18 PM	#1
JSWolf Resident Curmudgeon Posts: 78,948 Karma: 144284074 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3	Word wrap in the forum [closed] I'm noticing more and more people are not allowing the forum software to do the word wrapping in the text editor. What they are doing it hitting return when their lines get to the right side of the text editor and not just keep typing so the editor wraps the lines. The short lines look rather annoying and can be hard to read sometimes. For example... I'm noticing more and more people are not allowing the forum software to do the word wrapping in the text editor. What they are doing it hitting return when their lines get to the right side of the text editor and not just keep typing so the editor wraps the lines. The short lines look rather annoying and can be hard to read sometimes. For example... See the difference? Which would you rather read? Me, I'd rather the word wrapped lines. It is so much easier on the eyes. So folks, please let the text editor do the wrapping. It will help you get your point across so much easier. Thanks!

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11-04-2007, 03:34 PM	#2
bowerbird Banned Posts: 269 Karma: -273 Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: los angeles	i think you're talking about me. i like to control my linebreaks. it reminds you that i'm a poet. -bowerbird

11-04-2007, 03:37 PM	#3
bowerbird Banned Posts: 269 Karma: -273 Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: los angeles	but it _would_ be nice if the layout of this website were changed so that the width of the text column resized when the browser-window was enlarged... but, you know, maybe that's the _site_designer_ who's exercising his/her own _artistic_judgment_, and who am i to tell him/her how it should be?... -bowerbird

11-05-2007, 02:11 AM	#9
bowerbird Banned Posts: 269 Karma: -273 Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: los angeles	> You can change the forum skin in your options. i didn't know that. thanks. i'll try it out... -bowerbird

11-05-2007, 10:46 AM	#10
NatCh Gizmologist Posts: 11,615 Karma: 929550 Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Republic of Texas Embassy at Jackson, TN Device: Pocketbook Touch HD3	It was a new option that came in with the server change ... April, maybe? Anyway, it's not an obvious thing, but it is really nice to have, since folks have different preferences on how they like to see things displayed.

11-05-2007, 01:53 PM	#12
bowerbird Banned Posts: 269 Karma: -273 Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: los angeles	nekokami said: > one nice thing about leaving the line-wrap to the browser is that > the reader can adjust font size and window width to their own comfort, > rather than being forced to live with what the author likes best. yeah, isn't it a pain when authors try to force their preferences on you? i really hate that... :+) -bowerbird

11-05-2007, 02:42 PM	#14
bowerbird Banned Posts: 269 Karma: -273 Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: los angeles	i'm not sure why you seem to be taking it so _personally_, jon. and i think you're missing _both_ the humor and the serious point. i won't bother explaining the humor, because, you know, if you have to explain it, then it ain't gonna work anyway... the _serious_ point, though, is that self-expression matters. if i see this as a form of self-expression, i am gonna do it... and i'm not gonna compromise that because you want me to. and the _flip_ side of this serious point is that it can be irritating to a reader when their reading experience is constrained in ways that they do not like. whether that constraint is produced by an author, or a publisher, or a file-format, or any other way, the end-result is reader irritation. and the lesson in all of that is that digital text needs to be structured in such a fashion that the _reader_ is in control of their own reading experience... but we also need to understand that there's always going to be a creative tension between the artist who wants to control the experience of their creation, and the audience who receives it... does the artist run a risk of losing the audience by insisting the audience experience the creation as the artist intends it? well, most definitely! the audience might leave! and so be it! that act actively represents the fact that art is a relationship! if people want to stop reading my posts, or turn them into a big blotch of whitespace with the "ignore" command, fine! i accept that as the risk that i run, with my self-expression... do i _want_ to irritate people? well, heck no! but do i want to buckle down into conformance to what _they_ want me to be? well, heck no! (and, as i sidenote, do i wonder why it's such a big deal? yes!) you might want to construe this as a simple "wordwrap" policy, but there are philosophical issues right underneath the surface. philosophical issues that have _everything_ to do with e-books. -bowerbird

11-05-2007, 07:10 PM	#15
JSWolf Resident Curmudgeon Posts: 78,948 Karma: 144284074 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3	Why can't you just set your browser so YOU get the tiny lines and we get what we want? How hard is that or maybe it's too hard. I am not sure.

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