Not every one uses the same editor on a project especially the open source once where you run into emacs vs vi vs edit and the like.
Both Emacs and Vim, as far as I can remember, have this capability, as do most of the bare bones open source editors including Notepad++. It is seriously a basic feature missing only from things like MS Notepad, which is fine for simple and quick editing, but I must question the sanity of anyone who uses it as a serious development platform.
On the tabs vs. spaces debate, the *only* reason I prefer tabs is because I work with several people who like different indents. I keep my tab width at 2 or 3, one of my co-workers likes 5, and a guy we used to work with likes 8.[/quote]
I can accept this argument, and only reply with the idea I prefer consistency that comes with preventing the mixing of tabs and spaces that almost invariably occurs when tabs are allowed. But I am not one for imposing personal preference on team members.