Clan x86

General Forums => General Discussion => Topic started by: iago on February 10, 2007, 09:26:55 PM

Poll
Question: How many spaces do you put after a period?
Option 1: 0 votes: 0
Option 2: 1 votes: 11
Option 3: 2 votes: 11
Option 4: Varies votes: 2
Title: Spaces after a period
Post by: iago on February 10, 2007, 09:26:55 PM
I'm somewhat curious. I've always put 2-spaces after a period, but in my new job the editor tells us to do 1-space, and gets mad if you don't.

In the past month, I've successfully altered my 2-space habit, so I almost always use one space now. But it seems weird, since I always learned 2.
Title: Re: Spaces after a period
Post by: Newby on February 10, 2007, 09:28:50 PM
I learned early in life it was two. I still use one. :)
Title: Re: Spaces after a period
Post by: dark_drake on February 10, 2007, 09:44:03 PM
I usually go with one.  If the person I'm typing for asks for two, I'll type one until the very end and then just use find and replace.
Title: Re: Spaces after a period
Post by: Ergot on February 10, 2007, 09:45:23 PM
I use to do one, but now I do two since my 10th grade English teacher told me to. I still use one online though.
Title: Re: Spaces after a period
Post by: Ender on February 10, 2007, 09:52:36 PM
The two-spacing is obsolete. Single spacing is the future. They did it back when there were no word processors so I'm afraid to say iago that you're 36 years behind.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Full_stop#Spacing_after_full_stop

Oh, and you also have HTML to thank for that =P It's cool to think about how the MLA, APA, etc. shapes their standards around computers and technology, as was the case for HTML.

"With the advent of standardized HTML for rendering webpages, the broader distinction between full stop spacing and internal spacing in a sentence has become largely moot on the World Wide Web. Standardized HTML treats additional whitespace after the first space as immaterial (siding unquestioningly with the one-spacers), and ignores it when rendering the page. A common workaround for this is the use of   (Non-breaking space) to represent extra spaces, and is done automatically by some WYSIWYG editors."


Title: Re: Spaces after a period
Post by: Eric on February 10, 2007, 09:54:25 PM
I've always been a fan of the two-space.  It looks much cleaner, in my opinion.
Title: Re: Spaces after a period
Post by: Ender on February 10, 2007, 09:56:09 PM
Quote from: Ergot on February 10, 2007, 09:45:23 PM
I use to do one, but now I do two since my 10th grade English teacher told me to. I still use one online though.

Who do you trust, your teacher or HTML?
Title: Re: Spaces after a period
Post by: iago on February 10, 2007, 09:58:42 PM
Quote from: dark_drake on February 10, 2007, 09:44:03 PM
I usually go with one.  If the person I'm typing for asks for two, I'll type one until the very end and then just use find and replace.
Haha, that's the opposite of what I did at first at my job, I'd do it with 2 then find/replace with 1. But now I've broken the habit of using 2, so I can do either equally well. Go me! :)
Title: Re: Spaces after a period
Post by: Sidoh on February 10, 2007, 10:04:58 PM
Here (http://www.mla.org/publications/style/style_faq/style_faq3)'s the MLA's response to this subject, iago.  They seem to be pretty impartial.
Title: Re: Spaces after a period
Post by: Ergot on February 10, 2007, 10:10:18 PM
Quote from: Ender on February 10, 2007, 09:56:09 PM
Quote from: Ergot on February 10, 2007, 09:45:23 PM
I use to do one, but now I do two since my 10th grade English teacher told me to. I still use one online though.

Who do you trust, your teacher or HTML?
The teacher since he or she is the one that gives me the grade.
Title: Re: Spaces after a period
Post by: trust on February 10, 2007, 10:24:25 PM
I've always used one, I don't see the purpose in using two and it's inconvenient to push the spacebar twice with no productivity or practicality in return.
Title: Re: Spaces after a period
Post by: iago on February 10, 2007, 11:26:57 PM
Quote from: Sidoh on February 10, 2007, 10:04:58 PM
Here (http://www.mla.org/publications/style/style_faq/style_faq3)'s the MLA's response to this subject, iago.  They seem to be pretty impartial.
Strictly speaking, I wasn't asking which one's right. It seems that using either are conventions, which is supported by the MLA. So it really comes down to personal preference, unless you're writing professionally (or academically), then you just do what you're told to :).

I think what we all want to know is, how many spaces are you supposed to put after an emoticon? :)
Title: Re: Spaces after a period
Post by: Ergot on February 10, 2007, 11:28:43 PM
Quote from: iago on February 10, 2007, 11:26:57 PM
I think what we all want to know is, how many spaces are you supposed to put after an emoticon? :)
If the emoticon is taking the place of a full-stop then I would use two.
Title: Re: Spaces after a period
Post by: Hitmen on February 10, 2007, 11:57:43 PM
Uhh, this is not a subject I have ever heard anyone bring up in my life. Your editor should be flogged until he finds more important things to care about.
Title: Re: Spaces after a period
Post by: Joe on February 11, 2007, 12:38:56 AM
Like finding a way to get out of the flogging?

One. There can be only one.
Title: Re: Spaces after a period
Post by: MyndFyre on February 11, 2007, 01:34:30 AM
Quote from: iago on February 10, 2007, 09:26:55 PM
I'm somewhat curious. I've always put 2-spaces after a period, but in my new job the editor tells us to do 1-space, and gets mad if you don't.

In the past month, I've successfully altered my 2-space habit, so I almost always use one space now. But it seems weird, since I always learned 2.

In every English class I've taken, it's 2 spaces at the end of a sentence, one space when you're using an abbreviation (such as Mr.), unless it's immediately followed by other punctuation, such as comma or parenthesis.
Title: Re: Spaces after a period
Post by: CrAz3D on February 11, 2007, 03:39:25 AM
Quote from: MyndFyrex86] link=topic=8578.msg108544#msg108544 date=1171175670]
Quote from: iago on February 10, 2007, 09:26:55 PM
I'm somewhat curious. I've always put 2-spaces after a period, but in my new job the editor tells us to do 1-space, and gets mad if you don't.

In the past month, I've successfully altered my 2-space habit, so I almost always use one space now. But it seems weird, since I always learned 2.

In every English class I've taken, it's 2 spaces at the end of a sentence, one space when you're using an abbreviation (such as Mr.), unless it's immediately followed by other punctuation, such as comma or parenthesis.
same here.

however, it sees that chicago styles usesd only one spcaes for published documetns.
maybe i guess i should change then so that i work in there
Title: Re: Spaces after a period
Post by: Super_X on February 11, 2007, 05:47:03 AM
The way that I was tought was it was two spaces on typewriters and one space on the computer. Most of the word processors make it more clear that it's a period and the end of a sentance, I've noticed.
Title: Re: Spaces after a period
Post by: iago on February 11, 2007, 11:34:12 AM
Quote from: Hitmen on February 10, 2007, 11:57:43 PM
Uhh, this is not a subject I have ever heard anyone bring up in my life. Your editor should be flogged until he finds more important things to care about.
Haha, while you have a valid point, when documents are authored by more than one person, a consistent style has to be used, otherwise it'll look funny.

It's like, when you're programming something on a team, you should have a consistent programming style (in terms of spacing and commenting), which helps in the end. Makes it easier to edit others' code and such.
Title: Re: Spaces after a period
Post by: Ender on February 14, 2007, 04:06:24 PM
Amalgamating writing and programming styles can be artful. I'd rather see code with different programming styles :P
Title: Re: Spaces after a period
Post by: Sidoh on February 14, 2007, 04:17:08 PM
Quote from: Ender on February 14, 2007, 04:06:24 PM
Amalgamating writing and programming styles can be artful. I'd rather see code with different programming styles :P

It may be refreshing initially, but I doubt you'd keep that opinion after a few weeks on a programming job.
Title: Re: Spaces after a period
Post by: kalaka on February 14, 2007, 09:22:04 PM
Personally I use just one, never seen anyone use two (or just never noticed I guess).
Title: Re: Spaces after a period
Post by: Joe on February 14, 2007, 10:18:29 PM
Ender will enjoy reading the new code merged into JavaOp. iago's style and mine are mostly the same (I pretty much learned from him), but somewhat different.
Title: Re: Spaces after a period
Post by: Screenor on February 14, 2007, 11:33:52 PM
I never had anyone argue with how many spaces I put after a period (I put one). No one ever specified how many I should have either...
Title: Re: Spaces after a period
Post by: Rule on February 14, 2007, 11:48:16 PM
Interesting!  And quite ironic of Ender to claim that the double space is being eliminated by the "computer age."  I have never been told anything about whether we should have a single space or a double space at the end of a sentence.  I guess it's not terribly noticeable in handwriting, so I never really thought about it.   
It would be unnatural just to "guess" that there would be two spaces, so without thinking about it at all, when I first started word-processing (I was about 14... so computers really weren't part of my punctuation education :P) I assumed there was one space at the end of sentences, but I noticed that I was always corrected!  And since I type quickly, I got in an habit of quickly tapping the space bar twice at the end of any sentence closing punctuation.  So MS Word drilled this convention into my writing, and I have followed it since.  And I don't think I've thought about it since I was about 14, when I was forced to change! :O
Title: Re: Spaces after a period
Post by: Ender on February 15, 2007, 09:21:47 PM
Quote from: Rule on February 14, 2007, 11:48:16 PM
Interesting! And quite ironic of Ender to claim that the double space is being eliminated by the "computer age." I have never been told anything about whether we should have a single space or a double space at the end of a sentence. I guess it's not terribly noticeable in handwriting, so I never really thought about it. 
It would be unnatural just to "guess" that there would be two spaces, so without thinking about it at all, when I first started word-processing (I was about 14... so computers really weren't part of my punctuation education :P) I assumed there was one space at the end of sentences, but I noticed that I was always corrected! And since I type quickly, I got in an habit of quickly tapping the space bar twice at the end of any sentence closing punctuation. So MS Word drilled this convention into my writing, and I have followed it since. And I don't think I've thought about it since I was about 14, when I was forced to change! :O

;D
Title: Re: Spaces after a period
Post by: d&q on February 15, 2007, 10:47:31 PM
Rule, would it be too much of an intrusion to ask for your age?
Title: Re: Spaces after a period
Post by: leet_muffin on February 16, 2007, 12:11:36 AM
Uh, I've been assaulted from two different teachers for doing it two different ways, I don't know what to believe.
Title: Re: Spaces after a period
Post by: Skywing on February 16, 2007, 12:45:31 AM
Two spaces.