Double Spacing After Periods

[bhsup]

[FONT="Courier New"]Yes, always.  I couldn't care less what slate or anyone else says, it is correct to put two spaces after a period, once space after a comma, and so forth.  See?  Doesn't that look nice?[/FONT]

It seriously pisses me off every time I think about it that HTML was designed in such a crappy way as to just treat multiple spaces as a single "white space" or whatever the hell they call it. Truly craptastic design.

I would go so far as to say that if I owned a newspaper, I would fire any reporter who filed anything that failed to follow such a basic rule as two spaces after a period.

 

[Zelig]

It seriously pisses me off every time I think about it that HTML was designed in such a crappy way as to just treat multiple spaces as a single "white space" or whatever the hell they call it. Truly craptastic design.

I would go so far as to say that if I owned a newspaper, I would fire any reporter who filed anything that failed to follow such a basic rule as two spaces after a period.

http://stackoverflow.com/questions/...-file-show-up-as-single-spaces-in-the-browser

What's the alternative?

 

[bhsup]

A better designed HTML.

 

[Leoreth]

I am now applauding whoever designed HTML for unintentionally upsetting people who are wrong about typesetting.

 

[Borachio]

Typesetting is an amazingly complex subject. HTML doesn't come anywhere near to it.

 

[Farm Boy]

Both are correct. Both ways have been correct for quite a while now, and that probably isn't going to change. Double spaces following a period were largely for monospaced fonts, like on typewriters. Newer fonts with more powerful word and text processing tend to take non-fixed width fonts and equalize the space after a period regardless of if you hit spacebar once or twice. So really, if you aren't using a monospaced font, and you are living in 2014, it's highly unlikely to matter at all. If you happen to be using a monospace font like courier and the spaces actually display accurately then it matters a little, and the old convention for those fonts was to doubletap spacebar after a period, but it still doesn't really matter since it would be too confusing for all the kiddos to remember two different rules so one space is a little denser but still appropriate. Getting bent either way is more than a tad silly. Kinda like the transubstantiation battles of typesetting.

 

[hobbsyoyo]

I learned to do this when I learned to type in 1969. I don't really think it matters what the convention is. I'm surprised anyone gets worked up about it.

Same for me though I learned to type in the mid-90's. I use a double space and I have never, ever, not even once, been told it is incorrect to do so irl and everyone I know, including English professors, double space as well.

 

[Zelig]

A better designed HTML.

Yes, I mean, how would this design work, given the formatting considerations explained in my link?

 

[Zelig]

Same for me though I learned to type in the mid-90's. I use a double space and I have never, ever, not even once, been told it is incorrect to do so irl and everyone I know, including English professors, double space as well.

Well most people do most things in their lives suboptimally (i.e. wrong), that doesn't mean you shouldn't try to correct yourself whenever possible.

Spoiler :

 

[hobbsyoyo]

Well most people do most things in their lives suboptimally (i.e. wrong), that doesn't mean you shouldn't try to correct yourself whenever possible.

Spoiler :

Like, for instance, using the edit post button instead of double posting?

 

[El_Machinae]

My thumb automatically hits the spacebar twice when I hit the period. But, when I'm texting I only have one space because hitting the spacebar twice adds a period for me and capitalizes the first word in the next sentence. So, when texting, I nearly never use the period key.

 

[bhsup]

Yes, I mean, how would this design work, given the formatting considerations explained in my link?

Hell, I don't know. You might as well ask me how we should build a better rocket engine. Sure, we probably need a better one, but I don't -personally- know how to make it happen. That doesn't mean I cannot point out that we probably need a better one.

 

[illram]

In legal writing I was trained to always use two spaces after a period. That was the first I had ever heard of it. Now it is second nature.

 

[Takhisis]

[FONT="Courier New"]Yes, always.  I couldn't care less what slate or anyone else says, it is correct to put two spaces after a period, once space after a comma, and so forth.  See?  Doesn't that look nice?[/FONT]

It seriously pisses me off every time I think about it that HTML was designed in such a crappy way as to just treat multiple spaces as a single "white space" or whatever the hell they call it. Truly craptastic design.

I would go so far as to say that if I owned a newspaper, I would fire any reporter who filed anything that failed to follow such a basic rule as two spaces after a period.

I think you mean 'one' space after a comma.

HEIL GRAMMAR!

 

[madviking]

i was never taught it. vr's example looks weird.

 

[cav scout]

I was taught on a type writer so it just feel natural for me to hit the space bar twice after a period. If professional typesetters or anyone else has a problem with that they can come pry my space bar out of my cold dead hands.

 

[Joecoolyo]

My sentiments exactly. We need to put a full stop to it.

oww owwww owwwwwwww

 

[Birdjaguar]

I learned to double space on a typewriter and quickly gave it when I moved to a keyboard. There is no going back.

 

[Formaldehyde]

Indeed. And the proper spacing between sentences is automagically done with any non-monospace font.

 

[cybrxkhan]

To be honest, I can't believe there are people still alive who learned how to type on a typewriter.


(Togeth seriously, I am wondering when did the typewriter actually go out of fashion, I'm assuming sometime in the 80s or early 90s which would've been I wasn't born yet/not old enough to know about these things)