implement 'hard tab' as a series of hard tab chars that 'count' as spaces

[bombasticbob]

implement 'hard tab' so that a ctrl+i (08H) is used to represent a 'tabbed white space', normalized to the correct column based on tab stops. As an example, if you set tabs at 4, and insert a tab at column 0, then 4 '08H' characters will be inserted, and the column will be set at 4.

to normalize deleting, tabs would have to be deleted "up to the next tab stop" for each delete operation.

Insert and delete operations would count as a single '08H' character for undo/redo. The undo/redo would have to normalize it before executing.

inserting spaces would have to overwrite tab characters up to the tab stop.

Alternate representation of hard tabs as a very thin 'arrow' when displaying.

Using this method would simplify length and column index calculations. The only 'fixes' would be in displaying, deleting, and inserting within a series of tab characters.