Spaces after a period

[iago]

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.

[Newby]

I learned early in life it was two. I still use one. :)

[dark_drake]

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.

[Ergot]

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.

[Ender]

The two-spacing is obsolete.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."

[Eric]

I've always been a fan of the two-space.  It looks much cleaner, in my opinion.

[Ender]

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?

[iago]

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! :)

[Sidoh]

Here's the MLA's response to this subject, iago.  They seem to be pretty impartial.

[Ergot]

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.

[trust]

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.

[iago]

Here'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? :)

[Ergot]

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.

[Hitmen]

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.

[Joe]

Like finding a way to get out of the flogging?

One. There can be only one.