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In 2020, 80 characters per line remained a useful guideline, but a universal hard limit was hard to defend. Treat 80 as a soft target for readable code and reviews; set a wider ceiling when forcing a line break would split a logical unit or make the code harder to understand.
Where did the 80-character convention come from?
The convention is commonly traced to IBM punched cards that held 80 columns. Hackaday’s account says that format influenced terminal widths and, later, coding-style rules; it dates the card’s patent application to July 20, 1928. Early terminals were often 80 columns wide, although 72- and 132-column formats also existed. These are historical claims reported by Hackaday, not proof that every modern code line should have the same maximum. Hackaday’s history and discussion.
Why was a strict 80-column limit questioned in 2020?
Developers were no longer generally constrained to an 80-column terminal: larger displays and side-by-side windows were commonplace. Hackaday noted Linus Torvalds’s view that preserving the old limit made sense mainly for people using an actual VT100, not as a default for kernel development. The Register reported his more direct position: “no, 80-column terminals in 2020 isn’t ‘reasonable’ any more as far as I’m concerned.” The Register’s account of Torvalds’s comments.
Line breaks can affect tools as well as appearance
Torvalds argued that excessive breaks cause everyday problems with line-based Unix tools. He specifically named grep: a pattern or result that spans multiple lines can be harder to search for or interpret when a logical expression has been split. His point was not that long lines are always better, but that an arbitrary formatting rule can make ordinary code work less convenient. He also argued that “People with restrictive hardware shouldn’t make it more inconvenient for people who have better resources.”
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#1 Best Overall
Keychron K10 Max QMK Wireless Custom Mechanical Full-Size Keyboard
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What line length is easiest to read?
The available sources do not establish a controlled study showing that exactly 80 characters is best for programming. Values such as 80, 100, and 120 are conventions and practical policy examples, not experimentally proven readability optima.
Shorter lines can fit narrow editor panes, printouts, and side-by-side diffs. Longer lines can preserve meaningful whitespace, descriptive names, and complete expressions. But lines that run too far across a display can make it harder to track from the end of one line to the beginning of the next, sometimes requiring extra eye or head movement. The useful limit depends on the code, the display context, and the team’s tools.
Rank #2
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AULA F99 Wireless Mechanical Keyboard,Tri-Mode BT5.0/2.4GHz/USB-C Hot Swappable Custom Keyboard,Pre-lubed Linear Switches,RGB Backlit Computer Gaming Keyboards for PC/Tablet/PS/Xbox
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Should a coding standard enforce 80 columns?
For most teams, an 80-character soft target paired with a documented wider hard ceiling is a practical compromise. Hackaday describes 100 or 120 characters as examples of possible ceilings; neither is a universal optimum. The right policy is the one the team can apply consistently without producing unnatural breaks.
| Policy | Readability and grouping | Tools and review | Best fit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hard 80-character maximum | Encourages compact lines, but can split complete expressions or calls. | Fits narrow panes and printouts; may make line-based searching less convenient when logical units are broken up. | Projects whose environment or established style genuinely requires narrow lines. |
| 80-character soft target with a wider ceiling | Encourages concise code while allowing exceptions to preserve logical grouping. | Offers a useful default for diffs and narrow views without requiring every line to fit. | Teams wanting a shared preference rather than an inflexible rule. |
| No agreed target or ceiling | Leaves line length to individual judgment, which can produce inconsistent formatting. | May accommodate wide displays, but can be awkward in shared reviews or narrow panes. | Situations where the project has not adopted a formatter or common style. |
Whichever policy you choose, align it with the project’s formatter and review habits. In an existing open-source project, follow its established style rather than introducing a personal line-length rule.
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AULA F75 Pro Wireless Mechanical Keyboard,75% Hot Swappable Custom Keyboard with Knob,RGB Backlit,Pre-lubed Reaper Switches,Side Printed PBT Keycaps,2.4GHz/USB-C/BT5.0 Mechanical Gaming Keyboards
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AULA S99 Wireless Keyboard,99 Key Computer Gaming Keyboards with Number Pad
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Logitech MX Keys S Wireless Keyboard Low Profile Fluid Precise - Graphite
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How to apply a line-length policy
- Choose a soft target. Use 80 characters as a reminder to keep code concise, not as an automatic reason to break a complete expression.
- Set a hard ceiling only if the team needs one. Agree on a wider maximum—100 or 120 characters are examples described by Hackaday—and configure the editor or automatic formatter to match.
- Allow logical exceptions. Keep a complete expression, function call, URL, or diagnostic on one line when breaking it would make the code or message less clear.
- Check the actual review context. Consider narrow panes, printed output, side-by-side diffs, and the line-based tools contributors use.
- Follow the project’s existing conventions. Consistency with its formatter and review culture matters more than imposing a new universal number.
When should you keep or break a long line?
- Keep it intact when a break would separate pieces that readers need to understand together, such as a complete function call or expression.
- Consider a break when it creates a clear, meaningful grouping and improves scanning rather than merely satisfying a count.
- Prefer a shorter form when a line is difficult to follow even on a wide display; a soft target can prompt a useful rewrite without dictating one.
- Respect the working environment when contributors rely on narrow terminals, printouts, or side-by-side diffs.
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