On Friday, February 15, 2002, at 10:24 AM, cmpilato@collab.net wrote:
> Bruce Atherton <bruce@callenish.com> writes:
>
>> At 11:11 AM 2/15/2002 -0600, cmpilato@collab.net wrote:
>>> A note, though, Bruce. As if there aren't enough things to remember
>>> when trying to maintain consistency while editing, please additionally
>>> note that files like INSTALL use two spaces between the end of a
>>> sentence and the beginning of the next.
>>
>> I hadn't realized that. Thanks for the information, and sorry for the
>> added
>> work.
>
> Oh, no problem.
>
>> Perhaps it should be added to HACKING? Is that rule consistent
>> across all documentation, including comments, log messages, etc?
>
> Hmm...without trying to sound like a big meany, I think that rule is
> written in every American English grammar book currently in print.
>
> *shrug*
Not so. This is actually a typesetting issue. The practice arose because
typewriters use mono-space fonts and periods end up having too much
white space around them, which makes it visually more difficult to see
the end of sentences. Using two spaces after a period is a essentially a
hack to correct this problem and is unnecessary with variable-width
fonts. Unfortunately typewriters have been in use for about a hundred
years, much longer than laser printers, and the practice quite
enshrined.
*shrug* :-)
- Colin
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Received on Sat Oct 21 14:37:08 2006