The Energon Pub

Predaprince wrote:

NOBODY LOVES WHEELIE wrote:Oh and I leave one space...that's how MSWord does it, that's how America does it and its worked pretty well so far.

I am an American and, as I stated earlier, I was taught and still use two spaces. Therefore, your generalization of the typing styles of the entire American people is incorrect. I was taught to type on a computer in my freshman year of high school back in 1996. My college professors also confirmed that two spaces should be used in order for any body of literary work to appear professional. I, personally, have grown so accustomed to placing two spaces that I do so even in texts and posts on this site.

I think NLW was referencing Stark's quote from Iron Man.

I took a few typing classes in high school and in college, and it was pretty common, the two-space-after-punctuation-rule....but we learned with typewriters....Yes. I am old. Many word programs these days are automatically set as one-space, but you can change them to two-space if you chose. With that many years using the two-space-method, the one-space method looked a bit odd.

Predaprince wrote:I was taught two spaces and always have two spaces. It doesn't matter what I am typing nor to whom. It is always two spaces.

JeffX wrote:Always two spaces.

Yep, agreed. I took typing in high school, and I don't specifically remember being taught the "2 spaces" rule, but I've always typed that way. I thought everyone did...guess not!

I'm trying to remember the typing class I took junior year in high school (1995). We used Macs, and I'm fairly sure it was one space, since that's how I type to this day.

I learnt to type in a IT class at high school that went for a semester. The teacher could be a real so and so but the skills I learnt were and are priceless now.

Here's the straight scoop, and it's even stupider than you can imagine.

Textbook publishers hate used editions of texts, because they only make money on sales of new texts--they're entirely cut out of the secondary market. SOOOOO, I've seen textbooks (in fact I've TAUGHT with textbooks) that will literally just, say, flip flop chapters 8 and 13 and call it a new edition, or add a new preface and change pagination and call it a new edition so they can pull the old one off sales and start making cash again.

What's this have to do with how many spaces after a period? MLA. The Modern Language Association's justifications for the newest edition--two things: one, you no longer have to list URLs in MLA works cited pages for databases, etc,

AAAAAAAAAAAAAANNNNNNNNNNNDDDDDDDDD it's now one space after a period.

Yeah, that's the explanation.

To answer your direct question: I took typing class in high school. On beat up old IBM selectrics. We were taught 2 spaces. I always use 2 spaces. Because I refuse to kowtow to The Man when The MLA Man just wants more money.

HK, OOOOOOOOOOOOOORRRRRRR it's the Illuminati. I mean, Lady Gaga, single spaces after periods...it all FITS! o_O

hellkitty wrote: I mean, Lady Gaga, single spaces after periods...it all FITS! o_O

hehehehehehehehehehehehe

hehe

Sorry.

hellkitty wrote:HK, OOOOOOOOOOOOOORRRRRRR it's the Illuminati. I mean, Lady Gaga, single spaces after periods...it all FITS! o_O

Hmmm, while I'm definitely believe that the NWO tries to control us (let's not get into that too much!), I think it's also that our society is moving towards texting as a language. Words and phrases are abbreviated down to "IIRC" and "IMHO", to quote some simple examples. So I'm not surprised that the "two spaces" rule has gone bye-bye! I swear, we'll be speaking text language soon!

I was taught two spaces and I prefer it. To me a single space separates a word so two space should be used to separate sentences. Looking back at books and text though I just never noticed they were single space but that explains why the sentences look so jumbled together to me.

As for textbooks my college professor was pushing an idea. He wanted textbooks to be released electronically so students could print them themselves. Whenever a new edition came out chapters could just be reprinted or pages added. The cost of the books themselves would be dirt cheap. In return, instead of making money of of the 1st sale of the book and charging outrageous prices, the textbook writers charged a royalty that was part of the class's cost for every person in every class that used their textbook.

Old way. World History - $500, New Book $100, Used Book $50
New way. World History - $520 ($20 to textbook owners) - New Book $20, Electronic Book - Free

The savings comes from cutting out the used book stores but since most of them are owned by the colleges and they make loads of money they're against the plan.

Two spaces after a colon. That is about all I know.....or think I know.

Is it odd that I even put a double space in text messages? Thinking about it, Is it odd that I send multi-sentence texts?

Convotron wrote:

Predaprince wrote:

NOBODY LOVES WHEELIE wrote:Oh and I leave one space...that's how MSWord does it, that's how America does it and its worked pretty well so far.

I am an American and, as I stated earlier, I was taught and still use two spaces. Therefore, your generalization of the typing styles of the entire American people is incorrect. I was taught to type on a computer in my freshman year of high school back in 1996. My college professors also confirmed that two spaces should be used in order for any body of literary work to appear professional. I, personally, have grown so accustomed to placing two spaces that I do so even in texts and posts on this site.

I think NLW was referencing Stark's quote from Iron Man.

Yes, yes I was....next time I'll use the [stark][/stark] brackets. LOL

Gutter Bunny wrote:Is it odd that I even put a double space in text messages? Thinking about it, Is it odd that I send multi-sentence texts?

Not to me. I send texts like everything else I write....I use as few "text speak" terms as possible too....I spell most things out and abbreviate very little. "LOL" and "LMAO" are about the only "text speak" things I will use.

Self taught here. (I'm sure it shows. lol)

I couldn't stand taking computer courses in school, having them put my hands on ASDF, etc. And putting the cardboard box over our hands and keyboard so we couldn't see what we were typing, we had to learn how to use the keyboard and go from those keys.

I hated every friggin' second of it.

I always thought it was far more efficient to get a lay of the land of the keys and go from there.

For the longest time, I wouldn't type at all, or if I did, I pecked at the keyboard like a chicken.

Once the internet came into my home, that all changed. Within 5-6 months, I was typing up a storm, getting the right keys, etc.

Now, I can type without even looking at the keyboard and whip up HUGE posts (which I have a problem with, admittedly), and have about a 100 wpm rate. Maybe higher.

Is there anywhere online that can test you to see what your wpm rate is?

Oh and the space/double space thing? Never even heard of it until this thread. I'm not sure how important it is, I personally don't think it matters, as long as what you've typed or written is legible.

Code: Select all

                                                      NEW  WESTMINSTER,  THURSDAY  MAY  27,  2010
         TO  WHOM  THIS  MAY  CONCERN.

         WHAT  I  BELIEVE  IT  ALL  COMES  DOWN  TO,  IS  THAT  YOU  ARE  TAUGHT  AND  LEARN  THE  BASIC  ACCEPTED  OR  CURRENTLY  EXPECTED  STYLE  OF  YOUR  LOCATION  AND  TIME.   WITH  THAT,  AS  LONG  AS  YOUR  METHODS  ARE  ACCEPTABLE  TO  YOUR  PEERS  AND  INSTRUCTORS,  THAN  EVERYTHING  IS  GOOD.
         I  AM  SURE  THAT  THERE  WILL  BE  PEOPLE  WHO  WILL  RETAIN  TEACHING  THIS  PRACTICE  FOR YEARS  TO  COME,  HOWEVER  WITH  THE SCOPE  OF  MODERN  TECHNOLOGY  BEING  WHAT  IT  IS,  SPEED  AND  CONVENIENCE  WILL  PREVAIL  IN  USERS  OF  ELECTRONIC  MEDIA.

                                                      HUMBLY  YOURS
                                                      R.J.S.  EDITOR,  ESQ

ALL  CONCERNED  PARTIES
   USERS  OF  SEIBERTRON.COMMUNICATIONS
        VIA  THE  WORLD  WIDE  WEB

Editor wrote: NEW WESTMINSTER, THURSDAY MAY 27, 2010
TO WHOM THIS MAY CONCERN.

WHAT I BELIEVE IT ALL COMES DOWN TO, IS THAT YOU ARE TAUGHT AND LEARN THE BASIC ACCEPTED OR CURRENTLY EXPECTED STYLE OF YOUR LOCATION AND TIME. WITH THAT, AS LONG AS YOUR METHODS ARE ACCEPTABLE TO YOUR PEERS AND INSTRUCTORS, THAN EVERYTHING IS GOOD.
I AM SURE THAT THERE WILL BE PEOPLE WHO WILL RETAIN TEACHING THIS PRACTICE FOR YEARS TO COME, HOWEVER WITH THE SCOPE OF MODERN TECHNOLOGY BEING WHAT IT IS, SPEED AND CONVENIENCE WILL PREVAIL IN USERS OF ELECTRONIC MEDIA.

HUMBLY YOURS
R.J.S. EDITOR, ESQ

ALL CONCERNED PARTIES
USERS OF SEIBERTRON.COMMUNICATIONS
VIA THE WORLD WIDE WEB

Lol @ typo.

Also, I agree with the above point. It's very true.

I use tab. The more spaces the better...

Wait, what?


Taught two in high school. Still use two unless lazy. Even in text messages.

I was taught in school, and then by a tutor. Years of English assignments gave me practice before the internet got 56k modems. I've never heard of the two spaces thing.

I learned with two spaces, and on a typewritter of all things. GD I'm old!!!

--B-- wrote:I learned with two spaces, and on a typewritter of all things. GD I'm old!!!

Not impressed by your claims to venerability, good sir. Replace typewriter with smoke signals, then I'll be impressed.

Anyway, if being told what body parts to use counts, then yes, I've been taught how to type.

I only use one space myself, possibly due to my lack of training, but tbh I had never even really noticed the whole two spaces thing before in academic writing. Thank you for enlightening me.

Just shows how much attention I pay to uni stuff.

I was taught 2 spaces as well. They also had this iron clad rule that you can't look at the keyboard at all, even if you only have one hand. I tried explaining that I'd need 7 inch long fingers to reach all the keys and my teacher wouldn't listen. So I didn't take anything she taught to heart and when I heard they changed the rule it was easy to kick the habit.

Back in middle school we were made to take a typing class, pretty much just to learn where all the keys are and not have to look. I don't remember that rule regarding spaces though (unless I just subconsciously did it lol)

Was taught in Elementary, middle, and high schools(all Catholic private schools, if that makes a difference), and all 3 times, we were never taught the 2 space method.

In fact, this is my first time ever hearing about it, too.

Evil_the_Nub wrote:I was taught 2 spaces as well. They also had this iron clad rule that you can't look at the keyboard at all, even if you only have one hand. I tried explaining that I'd need 7 inch long fingers to reach all the keys and my teacher wouldn't listen. So I didn't take anything she taught to heart and when I heard they changed the rule it was easy to kick the habit.

*shudders* I keep thinking back to the computer lab in school. The stupid cardboard box so you didn't look at the keyboard, my fingers on the ASDF crap, and the cramps in my hands by the end of it.

I hated those days with a passion. A passion, I tell you. GRARGH! AUTOBOT SMASH!

Interesting topic. I learned two spaces at the end of a sentence in grade school and also in high school. In my graphic design courses, however, Robin William's The Mac is Not a Typewriter was our punctuation reference book. It states to use only one space; which took some getting used to at first.

In nursing school, we have this thing called APA format; and we have to follow it to the letter (or get docked points)! It also states one space.

I guess it just depends on who your audience is and whether they'll accept one space or two.