MrMophoto Loc: Rhode Island "The biggest little"

Just recently there was a discussion about the pros & cons of double spaces after the period and it's origins etc. At the time I read the thread I just thought it was really an insignificant aspect of communication. Everyone uses a keyboard these days but some of us older folks learned how to "type" on a typewriter, which, I believe, is where the double space originated.
This morning, I was sending some of my work to a gallery show in a "call for entry" and as pat of the process they wanted an artists statement. (over the years I have written a variety of these and recycle them as needed) This particular one had a max character count of 1000, no problem, I have a few around that count. I found one that had a count of 1048. I started to reword a few phrases and got it down to 1010, then by eliminating the double space and returns when I wanted to start another paragraph, I hit 999!
I still feel everyone has the right to put in double spaces if they want to and if it's not, it should be in the constitution, after all It's a god given right, right! Ah but I digress, it's been a slow day

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

Yup, for character count a double space counts as two characters, to a computer. Maybe their text parser doesn't strip doubles.

btbg

You pose an interesting question. When I first went to work for a newspaper double spaces after periods were considered proper. Several years ago that was changed and the AP Style (Associated Press) guidelines now require single space on all news stories. Other recent changes are going from e-mail to email, Television to TV, And to &, etc.... There is a growing list of things that were once considered improper that are now considered normal in the newsroom. For example I once wrote a story because several local cowboys qualified for the National Finals Rodeo that stated that the finals would be held in the Thomas & Mack Center on the campus of University of Nevada Las Vegas. The publisher changed it to Thomas and Mack Center even though they use & on the building and in all their communications. Last year I wrote a similar piece and wrote Thomas and Mack Center and the publisher changed it to & because that is now considered proper whenever the company or other entity uses & instead of and. Words and rules change. You are not required to change with them unless you submit something to an agency that goes with the new style guide.

BurghByrd Loc: Pittsburgh

I'll chuck in another old rule of similar ilk. It's not sounds like something disgusting; it isn't is preferred. BTW, I use double spaces because it makes reading easier although admitedly I learned on a typewriter (try finding ribbons these days).

jaymatt Loc: Alexandria, Indiana

The double spacing actually started with typesetting long before typewriters.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

Ribbons?
Try finding someone still using a typewriter.....

Dannj

Next “they” will be telling me I don’t need to indent five spaces for a new paragraph😳😳

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

Paragraphs????? No one uses paragraphs anymore.

JohnSwanda Loc: San Francisco

Was that at a time where the type was monospaced rather than variable spaced?

JohnSwanda Loc: San Francisco

I was taught to either leave a space between paragraphs OR use an indent - not both.

jaymatt Loc: Alexandria, Indiana

“They” already are. It is perfectly acceptable now simply not to indent, but rather to double space between paragraphs. To me, it actually makes more sense because it is easier to distinguish between paragraphs that way.

Times change. If they didn’t, we would all still be speaking Old English with some Latin thrown in. Sometimes, more often than not, change is good. On the other hand, sometimes I go unwillingly, kicking and screaming.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

Double space, single space, left indent, right indent, LARGE first letter,...
Things change, some good, some bad, some machts nichts.

BBurns Loc: South Bay, California

Punctuation is important.
Nobody wants to deal with a missed period!

BigOldArt Loc: Seminole, FL

5 spaces not <tab>?

jaymatt Loc: Alexandria, Indiana

Yes.