ML
    • Recent
    • Categories
    • Tags
    • Popular
    • Users
    • Groups
    • Register
    • Login

    Single Space or Double Space

    Water Closet
    typography time waster
    14
    113
    44.2k
    Loading More Posts
    • Oldest to Newest
    • Newest to Oldest
    • Most Votes
    Reply
    • Reply as topic
    Log in to reply
    This topic has been deleted. Only users with topic management privileges can see it.
    • Reid CooperR
      Reid Cooper
      last edited by

      I was unaware that such a debate even existed: http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/technology/2011/01/space_invaders.html

      I still don't know what to think, though.

      1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
      • Reid CooperR
        Reid Cooper
        last edited by

        XKCD Single Space vs Double Spce

        1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
        • Reid CooperR
          Reid Cooper
          last edited by

          And a retort: http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2011/01/you-can-have-my-double-space-when-you-pry-it-from-my-cold-dead-hands/69592/

          1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
          • scottalanmillerS
            scottalanmiller
            last edited by

            I am a double spacer myself.

            1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
            • thanksajdotcomT
              thanksajdotcom
              last edited by

              I did research on this once, and learned the reason some people double-space, which is typically older people and almost never people my age, is because that was taught during the typewriter days. After the digital age became prevalent, single-spacing became standard but many people still think back to pre-computer composing. Source is a Wikipedia article I don't feel like taking the time to link.

              scottalanmillerS 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 2
              • thanksajdotcomT
                thanksajdotcom
                last edited by

                Note: I researched that after an issue came up with the transcriptionists single-spacing and an older doctor, who was 50s or 60s, was upset it wasn't double-spaced. That's what made me look it up.

                scottalanmillerS 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                • scottalanmillerS
                  scottalanmiller @thanksajdotcom
                  last edited by

                  @ajstringham not sure if single spacing is standard today or if people just haven't learned how to type. If you use a monospace font, double spacing is still expected. Typographers claim that with variable width fonts, proper spacing is no longer needed. But since not all fonts are variable, doesn't that mean that double spacing still is required? The space between words and between sentences are not supposed to be the same whether hand written, typed or digital.

                  Single spacing just seems sloppy, still.

                  C 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                  • scottalanmillerS
                    scottalanmiller @thanksajdotcom
                    last edited by

                    @ajstringham It was still being taught in the mid-1990s for sure.

                    Pretty sure it was being taught when I worked at a school in 2005.

                    1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                    • scottalanmillerS
                      scottalanmiller
                      last edited by

                      Kids today and their French spacing and Oxford commas.

                      thanksajdotcomT 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                      • thanksajdotcomT
                        thanksajdotcom @scottalanmiller
                        last edited by

                        @scottalanmiller said:

                        Kids today and their French spacing and Oxford commas.

                        I've adopted the Oxford comma but only after kicking and screaming about it.

                        scottalanmillerS 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                        • C
                          Carnival Boy @scottalanmiller
                          last edited by

                          @scottalanmiller said:

                          Single spacing just seems sloppy, still.

                          Double spacing just seems weird.

                          Apart from anything, consider the wasted time. You've written over 2.8 million words on your blog, right? Let's say an average of 10 words per sentence. That's 280k extra spaces you've typed. Let's say an average of 120 spaces per minute and that's almost 40 hours of your life that you've wasted. 40 hours hitting the space bar, for no reason at all.

                          Life's too short!

                          thanksajdotcomT scottalanmillerS 2 Replies Last reply Reply Quote 3
                          • thanksajdotcomT
                            thanksajdotcom @Carnival Boy
                            last edited by

                            @Carnival-Boy said:

                            @scottalanmiller said:

                            Single spacing just seems sloppy, still.

                            Double spacing just seems weird.

                            Apart from anything, consider the wasted time. You've written over 2.8 million words on your blog, right? Let's say an average of 10 words per sentence. That's 280k extra spaces you've typed. Let's say an average of 120 spaces per minute and that's almost 40 hours of your life that you've wasted. 40 hours hitting the space bar, for no reason at all.

                            Life's too short!

                            That's an excellent analysis.

                            1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                            • scottalanmillerS
                              scottalanmiller @Carnival Boy
                              last edited by

                              @Carnival-Boy the price of elegance and accuracy is never small 🙂

                              In reality it would take so much more time to untrain. It's purely automatic and effectively instantaneous. I learned to type at age five.

                              1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                              • scottalanmillerS
                                scottalanmiller @thanksajdotcom
                                last edited by

                                @ajstringham said:

                                @scottalanmiller said:

                                Kids today and their French spacing and Oxford commas.

                                I've adopted the Oxford comma but only after kicking and screaming about it.

                                Why? Unless necessary, which it sometimes is, isn't it also considered sloppy?

                                thanksajdotcomT 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                • scottalanmillerS
                                  scottalanmiller
                                  last edited by

                                  Or perhaps redundant is a better term.

                                  1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                  • ?
                                    A Former User
                                    last edited by

                                    I was taught single space. I think older generations were taught double space.

                                    thanksajdotcomT 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                                    • thanksajdotcomT
                                      thanksajdotcom @scottalanmiller
                                      last edited by

                                      @scottalanmiller said:

                                      @ajstringham said:

                                      @scottalanmiller said:

                                      Kids today and their French spacing and Oxford commas.

                                      I've adopted the Oxford comma but only after kicking and screaming about it.

                                      Why? Unless necessary, which it sometimes is, isn't it also considered sloppy?

                                      It's not considered sloppy at all. The logic behind it makes sense. I fought it at first, but, if I want to be respected as a writer, I'll get criticized for not using it but won't if I do and someone considers it a little superfluous.

                                      scottalanmillerS 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                      • thanksajdotcomT
                                        thanksajdotcom @A Former User
                                        last edited by

                                        @thecreativeone91 said:

                                        I was taught single space. I think older generations were taught double space.

                                        Exactly. @scottalanmiller is just old.

                                        nadnerBN 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                        • nadnerBN
                                          nadnerB @thanksajdotcom
                                          last edited by nadnerB

                                          Mrs nadnerB is a double spacer and I am a single spacer. She is not old 😛

                                          I have no idea what I was taught/shown during school as I didn't like the teacher and refused to type their way. Hence my hybrid home/point-n-prod method of typing.

                                          I hope my objections to double spacing are not out of stubbornness... blink.gif

                                          1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                                          • JoyJ
                                            Joy
                                            last edited by

                                            Single Spacer here 🙂

                                            1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                            • 1
                                            • 2
                                            • 3
                                            • 4
                                            • 5
                                            • 6
                                            • 1 / 6
                                            • First post
                                              Last post