[seqfan] Re: Internal format examples page needs updating

[Neil Sloane]

J.S. said:
"Also, why doesn't the %S line get automatically shortened when entries are
longer than 260 characters? It would save time for both submitters and
editors.  If a sequence must use more characters, a special symbol could be
used to override the limit when parsed."

No, please no!  There are many times when one wants more terms.

The present suggested limit of 260 chars is simply a carry-over from the
days when
the entries were on punched cards. The cards had about 72 usable columns
for data,
and each sequence was allowed three cards for the data, with prefixes %S,
%T, %U ,

We needed SOME limit for the data section, so we use a recommendation of
260 chars.
As long as it in that ball-park, we don't need to worry.  If you want to
give 500 chars, go ahead.
Just don't overdo it.


for just over 200 chars.
Best regards
Neil

Neil J. A. Sloane, President, OEIS Foundation.
11 South Adelaide Avenue, Highland Park, NJ 08904, USA.
Also Visiting Scientist, Math. Dept., Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ.
Phone: 732 828 6098; home page: http://NeilSloane.com
Email: njasloane at gmail.com



On Tue, Dec 17, 2019 at 9:11 PM jnthn stdhr <jstdhr at gmail.com> wrote:

> If one edits a page using the "edit internal format" link and  follows the
> instructions in https://oeis.org/eishelp1.html, saving changes chokes on
> most lines that begin with "%x Axxxxxx", per the instructions and examples.
>
> Also, why doesn't the %S line get automatically shortened when entries are
> longer than 260 characters? It would save time for both submitters and
> editors.  If a sequence must use more characters, a special symbol could be
> used to override the limit when parsed.
>
> -Jonathan
>
> --
> Seqfan Mailing list - http://list.seqfan.eu/
>