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Subject:Spacing after periods From:Rebecca Merck <Rebecca -dot- Merck -at- ONESOFT -dot- COM> Date:Tue, 2 Mar 1999 13:50:26 -0500
I'm almost, but not entirely, sorry that I asked.
Thanks, Jacque, for the information about how this was an aesthetic
choice, and some of the historical background. It's good to know that
it is becoming "right" based on how people liked the look of it. And I
think that's my point. Some like to see it one way, others like to see
it the other. And there are justifiable reasons for both.
For the kind of writing that I'm doing, that is dense and packed with
technical content, I find that it is easier to read when your eye can
clearly pick out the end of the sentence. And when confronted with the
exact same content, once with one space and the second with two, I have
a higher comprehension of the content when I read the one with two.
The point about rivers is absolutely duly noted, and it's something that
I check for and correct where necessary. The standard that we are
applying for this project is to put in the two spaces, and deviate if
necessary.
Many of you voiced in off-list on both sides of the issue. Much of it
was enlightening, and I shared the off-list solutions to a number others
who requested the information from me.
I cannot for the life of me, though, understand why anyone would feel it
was necessary or even well-advised to respond to me with the following:
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If you are still typing two spaces, then you are doing so incorrectly.
Such a mistake marks
you as a novice (or worse, an obsolete dinosaur). I would therefore
suggest that you simply train yourself to do it correctly
(professionally), i.e. one space after periods.
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I, for one, am always open to a discussion about a point like this, but
I really don't have the patience for such sanctimony, on- or off-list.
'nuf said.
Thanks again to everyone who suggested Word workarounds. I've got it
under control now, and I appreciate the help I got here, as well as the
recommendations of some other resources for Word-specific information.
I'm always grateful to the woman who introduced me to this list, and for
the goodwill of its participants.
