When I took a typing class in 10th grade (1966) and learned on mechanical typewriters, it was always double space after a period. Some years ago (in the computer era), the standard changed to a single space and I taught myself to follow that.
@Mark_L Weird…because when I learned in the (early-ish) computer era I was taught that it was a double space. But still, it’s all about readability. It’s so much easier to parse a paragraph when there are simple visual cues that separate sentences, like two spaces followed by a capital letter.
Recalling my typewriter, and typesetting days, a full stop (period), as well as the colon, interrogation point and the exclamation point. all receive a trailing em or double space.
Wiki presents some interesting history and current thoughts on Full Stop
@rjquillin If you look at Wikipedia itself, it uses the third convention - making spaces larger after a sentence even though it’s a single space character. If the software is written in such a way as to make it visually obvious that there is a sentence break rather than some other sort of space between punctuation marks then fine.
My ridiculously strong will-die-on-this-soapbox stance come from a desire for maximal readability. Hence the Oxford/serial comma is also 100% required in writing as far as I’m concerned.
Edit: I also note that the forum software here condenses my two spaces after a period to a single space. Bastards.
@kawichris650 Nice!
If they put in a larger space when they did that, then fine. But they don’t! Just made me realise why I have a harder time reading some of the longer posts here. The typography makes it harder.
I’m guessing you don’t use the website “Nextdoor.” (And you’d be wise not to.)
I’d estimate over 80% of the people on there don’t use ANY punctuation whatsoever when making their posts. Not to mention most of the posts are completely unnecessary and irrelevant. However, I still check it on occasion because the site has proven to be very helpful at times.
@kawichris650 Oh, I’ve used it before. I stopped paying it any attention since it devolved into “somebody suspicious is near my house” and “get off my lawn” a number of years back. I can’t remember the last time I logged in.
@klezman I use the Oxford comma exclusively. I single space exclusively. Then again, i don’t capitalize the first person singular pronoun. So i’m all over the place.
@klezman@radiolysis Well, I’m with you on the first two points at least. “You can have my Oxford comma when you pry it from my cold, dead, and lifeless hands.”
Double is the only acceptable answer, full stop.
@klezman I see what you did there.
Both. When I’m in a hurry (double after Both.) I double space, when I’m not, I often single space, because that’s the current standard.
When I took a typing class in 10th grade (1966) and learned on mechanical typewriters, it was always double space after a period. Some years ago (in the computer era), the standard changed to a single space and I taught myself to follow that.
@Mark_L Weird…because when I learned in the (early-ish) computer era I was taught that it was a double space. But still, it’s all about readability. It’s so much easier to parse a paragraph when there are simple visual cues that separate sentences, like two spaces followed by a capital letter.
I double space, but then I have never used Twitter, with its 140 character limit.
@davirom You’ve never used Twitter because you have sense!
Recalling my typewriter, and typesetting days, a full stop (period), as well as the colon, interrogation point and the exclamation point. all receive a trailing em or double space.
Wiki presents some interesting history and current thoughts on Full Stop
@rjquillin If you look at Wikipedia itself, it uses the third convention - making spaces larger after a sentence even though it’s a single space character. If the software is written in such a way as to make it visually obvious that there is a sentence break rather than some other sort of space between punctuation marks then fine.
My ridiculously strong will-die-on-this-soapbox stance come from a desire for maximal readability. Hence the Oxford/serial comma is also 100% required in writing as far as I’m concerned.
Edit: I also note that the forum software here condenses my two spaces after a period to a single space. Bastards.
@klezman
You say bastards, but I bet the awesome forum software would disagree.
VAN GOGH! MANGO! TANGO! AWESOME!
@mediocrebot
Exactly.
MEALS! DEALS! EELS! AWESOME!
@kawichris650 Nice!
If they put in a larger space when they did that, then fine. But they don’t! Just made me realise why I have a harder time reading some of the longer posts here. The typography makes it harder.
@klezman
I’m guessing you don’t use the website “Nextdoor.” (And you’d be wise not to.)
I’d estimate over 80% of the people on there don’t use ANY punctuation whatsoever when making their posts. Not to mention most of the posts are completely unnecessary and irrelevant. However, I still check it on occasion because the site has proven to be very helpful at times.
@kawichris650 Oh, I’ve used it before. I stopped paying it any attention since it devolved into “somebody suspicious is near my house” and “get off my lawn” a number of years back. I can’t remember the last time I logged in.
@klezman I use the Oxford comma exclusively. I single space exclusively. Then again, i don’t capitalize the first person singular pronoun. So i’m all over the place.
@klezman @radiolysis Well, I’m with you on the first two points at least. “You can have my Oxford comma when you pry it from my cold, dead, and lifeless hands.”