I've noticed that even though I diligently type two spaces after a period, it changes it to one space. Look, it's doing it right now!

Any way to change this?

I don't know for sure about vBulletin code and I wouldn't dream of speaking for the mods, but I can tell you that basic HTML code ignores multiple spaces. You can have a thousand spaces in a row and HTML will display them as a single space.

But more importantly, why are you putting two spaces after a period? That style went out with typewriters.

Sorry CP, but SM is right. There's a reason HTML ignores the second space; browser engineers knew enough to have the windows only recognize one space, because the use of two spaces went out with typewriters and monospace fonts.

I don't know if you use Macs, but writer Robin Williams (not the actor) wrote a book many years ago (now in its second edition) called The Mac is Not a Typewriter (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0201782634/qid=1083104585) that detailed things like this.

If you're still using typewriter tricks for your papers (using two spaces, using underline instead of bold, using ALLCAPS instead of italics, etc.), the book might be an interesting read for you.

But more importantly, why are you putting two spaces after a period? That style went out with typewriters.

Well, I'm crushed. Does this mean I have to throw out all my buggy whips, too?

Some of us were taught that way, in my case, too long ago to change. And it just looks better. I won't even get started on the whole issue of spelling and punctuation.

I read The Mac is Not a Typewriter. Very good book, even if you don't have/use a Mac. But for those who don't even want Mac books on your shelf, Robin Williams also wrote The PC is Not a Typewriter.

Well, I'm crushed. Does this mean I have to throw out all my buggy whips, too?Just the buggies, not the whips. I'm sure you can still use those for something....

But more importantly, why are you putting two spaces after a period? That style went out with typewriters.
Sadly, I only learned of this last year after many years of double spacing. I've since turned my grammer checker on Word to look for this becasue it's a hard habbit to break. I hate it when they change things like that on you. I hate getting old too.

It may be a hard habit to break because it is, despite what anyone might claim who has the ability to write a book, still the proper way of writing. On the printed page, legibility is key. Thus, two spaces to denote separation of sentences will always apply, and will always be appreciated by a reader. I see no reason why the thinking on this is any different on line. It makes things just as difficult to read as a one-space separation would be on a page. It is not unlike those people who refuse to break their text up into paragraphs (hmm, such as this post purposefully left as one annoying paragraph). The information is the same, but the legibility is negatively impacted. Either way, it's not a giant deal ... but to say that the two-space separation is a thing of the past just because computer code won't accept it is to grant too great a deference to computer code written inconsiderately. Certainly the computer code for word processors continues to recognize the two-space separation and, in fact, will recognize that the User is the Master and the Program is the Slave, and thus do whatever you tell it to. That is the proper scheme of things.

It may be a hard habit to break because it is, despite what anyone might claim who has ..........................in fact, will recognize that the User is the Master and the Program is the Slave, and thus do whatever you tell it to. That is the proper scheme of things.I'm reading this paragraph about legibility and wondering WHY you are not spacing, paragraphing, giving me some SPACE PLEASE!

Then I saw you were doing this on purpose.:rolleyes:

I almost didn't read it. Writing paragraphs like that is almost better than adding someone to my ignore list. Same effect.

Of course, I can't type or proofread.:|


And I WILL continue to type 2 spaces. It's just what I do.

It may be a hard habit to break because it is, despite what anyone might claim who has the ability to write a book, still the proper way of writing.
Which is why, PCs or rather, word processing software which utilizes non- monospaced fonts will automatically add appropriate spacing (as typesetters would for printed works) so you don't have to use the old typewriter tricks which had to deal with such annoying things as the fact that "i" and "m" took up the same amount of space. You also no longer have to use a lower case "L" for a "1." Isn't progress grand.

Of course, if you only write in courier, you may be right :geek:

... but to say that the two-space separation is a thing of the past just because computer code won't accept it is to grant too great a deference to computer code written inconsiderately ...

It's actually because computer code does account for it. It takes care of the spacing for you. But I still type two spaces because the habit is so ingrained.

It may be a hard habit to break because it is, despite what anyone might claim who has the ability to write a book, still the proper way of writing. On the printed page, legibility is key. Thus, two spaces to denote separation of sentences will always apply, and will always be appreciated by a reader.Not a professional desktop publisher, mm? ;)

In my experience with proofreading in both the publishing world and academia, I have only recently stumbled upon the single space. I prefer the double space for readability of what is being written/read.

There are a couple of professors whose papers I have proofread that hav ethe single space between sentences. Now I want to go back and see if I can find any papers that my boss has written recently. This is all very interesting.

I'll preface this by saying that I probably *did* miss the class where they taught this. (Oh the joys of moving schools every year...)

I've never heard of the two-spaces-at-the-end-of-a-sentance rule. Never. Ever. Not in junior high. Not in high school. Not in college.

This thread is the first time I have EVER heard of this. I'm amazed. Next you're going to tell me that punctuation goes inside the quote marks.

AVP

I edited the City's quartly arts publication for 10 years. One of the primary writers (who was also computer literate, used to have HUGE issues when the double space was left out after a period. I agreed with him that that was the standard and I always cleaned it up.

That was only about 6 years ago. Can something so set in stone be changed that fast?




And stop laughing! I'm a great editor. I just can't type or proofread my own stuff.

I've never heard of the two-spaces-at-the-end-of-a-sentance rule. Never. Ever. Not in junior high. Not in high school. Not in college.
I actually learned about this first when I was in college (1980-84) - and it took forever to get used to added two spaces then as well. However, I at least was not as unfortunate as one of my classmates who thought "double-spaced" meant inserting two spaces between every word - she had the wierdest looking term papers I ever saw.

That was only about 6 years ago. Can something so set in stone be changed that fast?
I believe you can set the MS Word Grammer checker for either one space or two after a period.

Sorry CP, but SM is right. There's a reason HTML ignores the second space; browser engineers knew enough to have the windows only recognize one space, because the use of two spaces went out with typewriters and monospace fonts.

Yeah, but you'll probably still get all of my raw columns with two spaces. I learned it at least as early as junior high school, possibly in elementary school. It's been what, 25-30 years now? Old habits are hard to break. Sorry.

2 spaces??? Typerwriters???? How old ARE you guys?

I'm younger than every one of the posters in this thread (except the OP) and I learned to type on a typewriter. However I never quite *got* the double space thing, I always thought it was 2 spaces between each word.

Signed,
one who needed more patient English teachers.

All of the reasons why would be fine with me, if the default font for MP did the automatic "appropriate spacing" that cemeinke mentioned.

But it doesn't.

Hence, everything looks less legible. Not exactly what a message board should shoot for, eh?

I could tell you about how my Mom made me type reports on an ancient mechanical typewriter all the way through junior high. But habit and upbringing are not the real reason I like two spaces.

It's readability.

Experiment time:

Arial. Sentence.
Arial black. Sentence.
Arial Narrow. Sentence.
Book Antigua. This is one of my favorite fonts, btw.
Century Gothic. Another Sentence.
Comic Sans. Makes a post look silly.
Courier New. For people that think Times New Roman is too flashy.
Fixedsys. I am a robot.
Franklin Gothic Medium. Can I get an X-large?
Garamond. New, from Oldsmobile.
Georgia. Pretty likable, I guess.
Impact. Hard to read at this size.
Lucida Console. Nothing funny to say.
Lucida Sans Unicode. Suddenly I think I understand what Sans Unicode means.
Microsoft Sans Serif. Screw this one.
Palatino Linotype. I like this one too.
System. You are part of it.
Tahoma. Yup, out of funny stuff.
Times New Roman. Booooring.
Trebuchet MS. This one's not too bad.
Verdana. Good old MP buddy we discovered for the shirts.

On hitting Preview, it's immediately apparent that they ALL transfer to single spaces, regardless of legibility, or whether it's an adaptive font. They all suck.

First the smilies, which make reading MP harder. Now this.

I have to say, I'm extremely bummed. Where did my functional, legible MP go? :crying:

I've typed two spaces after a period for as long as I can remember. Still do. And I won't be changing that.

I only learned about the one space thing with regard to submitting things to be typeset/published very recently - like about a week or two ago.

I always put two spaces after sentencs. I guess I just never noticed that one was taken away.

I like typewriters.

CP, this has absolutely nothing to do with MousePlanet and everything to do with HTML.

In HTML if you take this text:


"Hi, I

am a drug addict from way


back and frankly I'm ok with





that."


It will render in your browser as "Hi, I am a drug addict from way back and frankly I am ok with that."

This is true of every font on every page you've ever looked at in a web browser, unless the author has taken unusual measures to manually code in extra spaces.

And if you want an example of how this is an artifact of typewriters and fixed-width fonts, go find an old novel from the typerwriter era.

Books were typeset and used proportional width fonts. You'll see no sign of a double-spacing rule there (however, the kerning is such that it left/right justifies the line, but you'll see no indication that spaces after periods, colons, questions marks, etc., were by rule any larger than other spaces.