🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <1990Feb4.224159.26586@athena.mit.edu> shahn@hstbme.mit.edu (Samuel Hahn) writes:
>
>I am about to begin a newsletter project and I am wondering what the "right"
>way to format sentences is. 
>
>Back in the old typewriter days, TWO spaces after a period was the standard.
>Now, however, it seems like people are using only ONE space.
>

The idea (actually the necessity) of using one space between sentences
originated from the days of hot metal typesetting, where spaces were
actually metal wedges called spacebands. These metal wedges would be
siultaneously compressed to spread the type out and justify the line.
If two spacebands were placed side-by-side, the linotype would jam.

The idea of only one space(band) between sentences has been carried over
to modern typesetters, all of which will not allow two spacebands to be
placed next to each other.

While the mac will allow two spaces side by side, they should not be
used. When justifying lines, the space character is actually assigned
a different width value on each line in order to justify the line. 

As an aside, there was an init posted to c.b.m. that would not allow
two spaces to be typed side by side.

Jeff

Disclaimer: I've been setting type on REAL typesetters since I was 14.



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