EMACS aside, it's still an interesting question why -- in English at least -- it was customary thoughout the 20th century to put two spaces after a period
when typing. I expect it must have been an aesthetic decision. What else
could it have been?
The typing habit was designed to assist typesetters in reading the manuscript as they were setting type. Traditionally, the typesetters never set the extra space.
Sigh. This discussion reminds me of way back to 1984 or 1985, when "The Mac is not a typewriter" was published. Same story.
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Michael Everson * * Everson Typography * * http://www.evertype.com
