So, when it comes to typing

[rabidsamfan]

[Poll #1668357]

(inspired by an article over at The Atlantic)

(read the comments! Some are quite giggleworthy!)

Comments

[belleferret.livejournal.com]

Oh come on people! I was taught to use two spaces on a manual typewriter decades ago. If you are still typing on a non-proportional typewriter, go ahead and put in two--otherwise, the RULE is one. People are free to break the rules, but don't do it just because you are too lazy to do it correctly!!!!!!!

[rabidsamfan.livejournal.com]

*snicker* Considering that I never heard the one space rule until yesterday -- and I'm a librarian -- I suspect that it won't find itself set into stone for a while yet. I did know that html drops a space if you type two, but I figured that was a computer memory thing.

[belleferret.livejournal.com]

Oh wow, I thought it was well-known by now! You may want to check out this article:
http://desktoppub.about.com/cs/typespacing/a/onetwospaces.htm

As a librarian, you should know all typeset material uses one space. ;-)

[rabidsamfan.livejournal.com]

I literally never thought about it. I never had a teacher in college or grad school who wanted me to single space after the period, so without any counter-influence to my early training on typewriters, the two spaces has stuck. (And this is despite having learned speed typing on a teletypewriter... although come to think of it, periods are also a matter of three keystrokes on those, as well.)

The printed page has always been different than typing, though, since the letters can be differently spaced. What really has changed though is the difference between paragraphs. No indentation? Just a double space down? My typing teacher would be rolling in her grave. (And yet I do it automatically.) Just as automatically as the doublespace -- which I'm typing, even if it doesn't show -- after a period or question mark.)

[belleferret.livejournal.com]

I guess I first learned about it in the early desktop publishing days in the mid to late 80s. Yay for Macs! ;-)

As I recall, fully justified text should have single spacing between paragraphs with an indent, while left-justified text should have be double-spaced with no indent.

Of course, once publishing got in the hands of the masses, all heck broke loose!

[rabidsamfan.livejournal.com]

Ironically, the examples they give of blocks of text with or without double spaces only make me like the double space after the period better. And I suspect that the more technical the paper, the more I'd like that visual cue.

I've needed glasses since I was twelve -- anything which makes the work of distinguishing where one thing stops and another starts is okay in my book.

[belleferret.livejournal.com]

LOL I find the two-space examples to be ugly!

And I beat you--I've worn glasses since I was 8!