I've been using this utility for a long time and agree with your recommendation.

Before I move on, a question... What exactly is wrong with double spaces between sentences on a computer? This paragraph was typed with them. I've been using them for years and, as far as I can tell, no harm has ever come to my Mac. I'm also pretty certain that your server will survive the use of the double spaces, though I realise that they may be converted once I submit this comment. I really don't understand why we should "suddenly" go over to using single spaces.

Quote

vftk wrote:
I've been using this utility for a long time and agree with your recommendation.

Before I move on, a question... What exactly is wrong with double spaces between sentences on a computer? This paragraph was typed with them. I've been using them for years and, as far as I can tell, no harm has ever come to my Mac. I'm also pretty certain that your server will survive the use of the double spaces, though I realise that they may be converted once I submit this comment. I really don't understand why we should "suddenly" go over to using single spaces.

There is nothing in using double spaces on a computer, or posting to a blog, that will bring down the systems. It was just something we were taught in typing class because of the monospacing of the type. The eye could see the difference between the spacing between words and the end of a sentence. With the advent of proportional type on the computer the need for double spaces went away.

Among other things I do page layout for clients. One of the first things I do when getting some copy is to run it through Mark Munz's TextSoap to clean out the double spaces, change straight quotes to curly quotes (unless the use is appropriate) and such things that do not look good in print. Of course "looking good" is subjective.

Check out Robin Williams' book The Mac is Not Typewriter

> There is nothing in using double spaces on a computer, or posting to a blog,
> that will bring down the systems.

Darn - I forgot to add the at that original point!

<snip>
> With the advent of proportional type on the computer the need for double spaces went away.

I disagree. But, as you say, "looking good" is subjective.

> Among other things I do page layout for clients. One of the first things I do when getting
> some copy is to run it through Mark Munz's TextSoap to clean out the double spaces,
> change straight quotes to curly quotes (unless the use is appropriate) and such things
> that do not look good in print.

Once upon a time, I used to do what was referred to as DeskTop Publishing - a phrase you tend not to see nowadays - using a package originally known as Aldus Pagemaker. (That's one for the grown-ups... ) I would insert double spaces between sentences where there were none before. While I no longer do DTP, I still use double spaces, whether I'm typing a simple email, writing for my website or producing technical documentation at work.

> Of course "looking good" is subjective.

On that, at least, we can agree!

Quote

vftk wrote:
>Once upon a time, I used to do what was referred to as DeskTop Publishing - a phrase you tend not to see nowadays - using a package originally known as Aldus Pagemaker. (That's one for the grown-ups... ) I would insert double spaces between sentences where there were none before. While I no longer do DTP, I still use double spaces, whether I'm typing a simple email, writing for my website or producing technical documentation at work.

> Of course &quot;looking good&quot; is subjective.

On that, at least, we can agree!

I think I still have my copy of PageMaker in a box of floppies out in the garage alongside my box of SCSI and AppleTalk cables

As a teenager back in the early '60s I worked in a small job printing shop. We set movable type in a composing stick.

These days I use InDesign and Pages.

@vftk

"What exactly is wrong with double spaces between sentences on a computer? This paragraph was typed with them."

You may have typed them in but notice they didn't render. html, as a rule, doesn't display multiple spaces typed in text if they aren't explicitly inserted with &nbsp; or the like.

Double spaces really are a typographic anachronism as Sir Harry indicated. Believe me, it took me a while to unlearn but it's worth it to trust the power of proportional type. (Unless of course you have a fetish for layout with Courier!)

In any case, this service from Devon is killer.

Chris

The other suggestion you seem to have ignored, "vftk," is Flashman's recommendation of Robin William's excellent book. It is a wonderful seminal text on typographic standards as applied in the world of desktop publishing.

Get it and read it.

Sir Harry Flashman wrote:
"It was just something we were taught in typing class because of the monospacing of the type. The eye could see the difference between the spacing between words and the end of a sentence. With the advent of proportional type on the computer the need for double spaces went away."

Went Away?!?!!! When was this decided, and by whom? With the monospacing, we left two spaces. Now with proportional spacing we use only one? And those spaces are smaller, almost half the size. Does that make sense to you? Personally, I find the double spacing much easier to read than the squished-together proportional nonsense. Merely having a period-to-capitol arrangement with only one space the size of an "i" is hardly "forward thinking". It looks sloppy.
I thought we were in the information age. Granted, much of that "information" is of little value, but when it is it should be a pleasure to read. In other words...If it ain't broke, don't fix it!

Sir Harry Flashman wrote:
"It was just something we were taught in typing class because of the monospacing of the type. The eye could see the difference between the spacing between words and the end of a sentence. With the advent of proportional type on the computer the need for double spaces went away."

Went Away?!?!!! When was this decided, and by whom? With the monospacing, we left two spaces. Now with proportional spacing we use only one? And those spaces are smaller, almost half the size. Does that make sense to you? Personally, I find the double spacing much easier to read than the squished-together proportional nonsense. Merely having a period-to-capitol arrangement with only one space the size of an "i" is hardly "forward thinking". It looks sloppy.
I thought we were in the information age. Granted, much of that "information" is of little value, but when it is it should be a pleasure to read. In other words...If it ain't broke, don't fix it!

Sir Harry Flashman wrote:
"It was just something we were taught in typing class because of the monospacing of the type. The eye could see the difference between the spacing between words and the end of a sentence. With the advent of proportional type on the computer the need for double spaces went away."

Went Away?!?!!! When was this decided, and by whom? With the monospacing, we left two spaces. Now with proportional spacing we use only one? And those spaces are smaller, almost half the size. Does that make sense to you? Personally, I find the double spacing much easier to read than the squished-together proportional nonsense. Merely having a period-to-capitol arrangement with only one space the size of an "i" is hardly "forward thinking". It looks sloppy.
I thought we were in the information age. Granted, much of that "information" is of little value, but when it is it should be a pleasure to read. In other words...If it ain't broke, don't fix it!