breaking atoms across lines, was: Question about long numbers

Robert Dodier wrote:

>Hello,
>
>At present strings, numbers, and symbols longer than linel
>(default 79) are broken across output lines, with each line
>ending in "#". However, that can't be used as input.
>Examining the parser code, there doesn't appear to be a
>provision for ignoring the end of line (whether by # or any
>other device).
>
>It seems useful to me to allow long atoms to be broken across
>input lines as well -- certainly strings, probably numbers, and
>why not symbols while we're at it. Also making output permissible
>as input increases Maxima's overall consistency.
>
>I propose (1) a backslash at the end of a line causes the parser
>to eat the subsequent newline (or carriage return / newline),
>and (2) a backslash is printed at the end of a broken line instead
>of a hash mark.
>
>(Backslash is better than hash mark since # already
>means not equal, but \ is not an operator.)
>
>Any comments are welcome.
>
>Robert Dodier
>  
>
Hi Robert .
When I found LINEL then all my difficulties with big numbers were 
solved. So the bug numbers argument is gone.
But it still might be nice to have what you are suggesting.
Doug Stewart