It is impossible to layout code in a precise manner using only tabs. Spaces are required in almost every coding style, and mixing them with tabs can be confusing and lead to bad layouts.
Tabs carry more semantic information than spaces. Case in point: Converting from tabs to spaces is easy but going back the other way is hard (information is lost).
The semantics have nothing to do with the question. You're also not showing how you lose any information. It seems like a two-way operation. "Hardness" is relative, and does not indicate loss of information.
neologist
Spaces allow for multiple indentation styles inside a single file, e.g. an HTML file with 2 space indentation and embedded JavaScript with 4 space indentation.
- Style consistency is a crucial to understand code. - On the other hand, most arguments fall back to arbitrary personal preferences. - Widely followed style guides set spaces as the convention and most code uses spaces.
Thus, keeping up with this convention makes developer life easier.