atw: Re: Old habits

For one of our deliverables, we used to keep double spacing until a few 
years ago. The deliverable was a CHM file, and if you resized the CHM 
panes with only a single space after a full stop, the word before the full 
stop would move with the following sentence. If we had two spaces, it 
wouldn't (until it absolutely had to due to pane width). We didn't have 
the two spaces for any other reason, and most of us preferred to write 
without it (or had used tools such as Frame where we could force single 
spaces, even when we typed double spaces). 

I gues it wasn't a requirement, but was slightly more compelling to keep 
double spaces than personal preference for or against them. 

YMMV,
KT

Kirsty Taylor 
 kirsty.taylor@xxxxxxxxxx
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"Deborah Cross" <Deborah.Cross@xxxxxxxxxx> 
Sent by: austechwriter-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
28/10/2008 11:46 AM
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Subject
atw: Re: Old habits






The idea that were still requirements for double spaces out there hadn't 
even occurred to me!
I just assumed that everyone had moved to single spacing instead.
 
Seems to have been a week of 'old-fashioned' standards, huh?

From: austechwriter-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx 
[mailto:austechwriter-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Howard Silcock
Sent: Tuesday, 28 October 2008 12:28 PM
To: austechwriter@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: atw: Re: Old habits

Gee, I think I need to back-pedal here! I meant the label 'dinosaur', and 
the accompanying diatribe, to be directed at the people who lay down rules 
for others about using double spaces, not individual users who do so out 
of habit. 
 
Both here and in Defence, where I used to work, there are actual 
*requirements* to use two spaces after a full stop and I have been 
battling for that to be changed, but have met resistance from people who 
basically just say 'well, I like it that way' and seem to give that more 
weight than any research you can show them. That's what's bugging me, not 
the punctuation of your email, Deborah!
 
Howard
 
 


 
On 28/10/2008, Deborah Cross <Deborah.Cross@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote: 
I'm not sure that it is all that vindictive Howard! For some it is just a 
hard habit to break.
 
I'm in my early 30s, so I don't consider myself a dinosaur, but I learnt 
to touch-type on a typewriter in year 7 and so I double space without 
thinking.
Luckily, I have done the majority of my writing online, where double 
spaces are ignored by the majority of browsers.
 
I have been trying unsuccessfully for a number of years to drop my double 
spacing habit, but it just won't leave. My thumb has 'hit twice' built 
into it.
 
I have now gone back through this email and removed all the double spaces 
so that I don't upset you. :P
When I work in Word, I have a macro for removing double-spaces that I run 
at the end.

From: austechwriter-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:
austechwriter-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Howard Silcock
Sent: Tuesday, 28 October 2008 10:52 AM
To: austechwriter@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: atw: Re: Old habits

 
I'm afraid it's the dinosaurs. But unfortunately they are in positions of 
power and are oblivious to the advice of many graphic designers and 
publishers, and won't even look into the books on their shelves, where 
they'd soon see that they're actually running against the tide.
 
Howard

 
On 28/10/2008, Kathy Bowman <Kathy.Bowman@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote: 
A lot of the documents I have seen lately have double spaces between 
sentences. Are they making a comeback, or am I just dealing with 
dinosaurs?
cheers
Kath



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