Using tabs

Yes, any text editor can be tuned so that it will use spaces instead of tabs, always. But sometimes, tabs are useful:

#!/usr/bin/env python3

# instead of:
for i in range(10):
    print ("%5d %5d %5d" % (i, i**2, i**3))

print ("")

# we write this:
for i in range(10):
    print ("%d\t%d\t%d" % (i, i**2, i**3))

    0     0     0
    1     1     1
    2     4     8
    3     9    27
    4    16    64
    5    25   125
    6    36   216
    7    49   343
    8    64   512
    9    81   729

0       0       0
1       1       1
2       4       8
3       9       27
4       16      64
5       25      125
6       36      216
7       49      343
8       64      512
9       81      729

This is why this character is called 'tabulator/tabular key' -- to be used in tables. See TSV.

(the post first published at 20220715.)

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