TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
Subject:Re. Two spaces or one? From:Geoff Hart <geoff-h -at- MTL -dot- FERIC -dot- CA> Date:Fri, 19 May 1995 08:56:55 LCL
Some time back, we had a discussion of whether or not to use two
spaces or one at the end of the sentence. (I didn't remember whether
it was on the tech. writing or copyediting list, but since the concept
is relevant to both, I've posted it to both.)
For those who are interested in a summary of the issue (but not culled
from the recent online discussion), David Nadziejka took a whack at it
in "The spaces between the terms" (Technical Communication, First
Quarter 1995, vol. 42(1), pages 127-129). This sort of elegant
writing, combined with just enough research to come up with an
informed opinion, is why I keep reading the journal... wish there were
more of it! He's darn near convinced me to going back to two spaces
after the period, particularly given that I can do it in a few seconds
with my word processor's search and replace function (i.e., for the
lazy among us!). Read the article and see for yourself!
--Geoff Hart #8^{)}
geoff-h -at- mtl -dot- feric -dot- ca
Disclaimer: These comments are my own and don't represent the opinions of
the Forest Engineering Research Institute of Canada.