# Behaviours still done though they're no longer needed **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 21, 2020, 8:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/behaviours-still-done-though-theyre-no-longer-needed/852257 "2020-04-21T08:35:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2020, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/behaviours-still-done-though-theyre-no-longer-needed/852257/121 "2020-04-26T19:57:50Z")
> [@TRC4941](#): > > I do that with bacon. When I fry bacon I cut the slices in half because my mom always did. She did it because she fried my dad’s bacon and eggs every morning in a small cast iron frying pan. The bacon didn’t fit in there full length. It just seems right to me to do it that way, even though my pan is bigger.😃 At least for me it isn’t a question of fitting the slices in the pan, it’s that otherwise the center of the bacon strip will be overdone while the ends are still undercooked. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2020, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/behaviours-still-done-though-theyre-no-longer-needed/852257/122 "2020-04-27T00:16:35Z")
> [@digs](#): > > If you measure, you’ll see that modern word-processing and page layout programs automatically add a larger space after a full stop (.) than there is between words. > > Oh, the joys of getting a Word file with extra spaces and having to remove one! > Rare now, mostly back when we still had clients who’d grown up learning to type from Sister Olivetti (and getting their knuckles smacked if they didn’t do a double-space). > \*Speaking of Word, it is NOT a page layout program. If you lay out a brochure using a word-processing program and send it to a professional printer, send along a printed copy of what it’s supposed to look like. The two printers I use say that Word will allow odd moving of text and images, and they often have to move items back (one designer friend will often just recreate it in InDesign). Hmm… at least on my older (2010) version of Word em, en, and nonbreaking spaces have their own characters when in show formatting mode, but no visible difference between regular spaces and after period spaces. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2020, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/behaviours-still-done-though-theyre-no-longer-needed/852257/124 "2020-04-27T13:53:16Z")
[Microsoft has banned 2 spaces between sentences](https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/27/tech/microsoft-word-two-spaces-trnd/index.html). They own the world so it must be up to them. ---
**Author:** ![kitap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b9e5f3/32.png) [@kitap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kitap)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2020, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/behaviours-still-done-though-theyre-no-longer-needed/852257/125 "2020-04-27T14:00:57Z")
I can’t open a can of soda without tapping the top. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2020, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/behaviours-still-done-though-theyre-no-longer-needed/852257/126 "2020-04-27T16:25:41Z")
> [@pullin](#): > > Our newest vehicle has a 17,000\* mile oil change cycle. The dealer’s service department strongly disagrees and insists on 7,000. I split the difference and change it at 10,000. We’ll see what happens I guess. On railroad locomotives, the oil change cycle is Never\* – the crankcase hold about 300 gallons and it’s just too expensive to do on a regular basis. They do, however, draw off a half-pint at the end of each run (a few hundred miles) and send it to a lab for analysis, looking that the polymer chains aren’t breaking too badly and there are no suspicious metal particles floating around in there. \*In actuality this means about 100,000 miles when the prime mover is removed, torn down, and rebuilt. ---
**Author:** ![MulderMuffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldermuffin/32/2862_2.png) [@MulderMuffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MulderMuffin)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2020, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/behaviours-still-done-though-theyre-no-longer-needed/852257/127 "2020-04-27T16:59:37Z")
I always shake my gallon of milk before I use it. When I was younger, my mom bought non-homogenized milk, either because that was all that was available or because it was cheaper, I don’t know which. So you had to shake it to mix the milk and cream together before you used it. That’s no longer the case, but it’s an ingrained habit of growing up that I give the jug a hearty agitation before pouring. ---
**Author:** ![ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chockfullofheadygoodness/32/511_2.png) [@ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2020, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/behaviours-still-done-though-theyre-no-longer-needed/852257/128 "2020-04-27T17:40:25Z")
> [@MulderMuffin](#): > > I always shake my gallon of milk before I use it. When I was younger, my mom bought non-homogenized milk, either because that was all that was available or because it was cheaper, I don’t know which. So you had to shake it to mix the milk and cream together before you used it. That’s no longer the case, but it’s an ingrained habit of growing up that I give the jug a hearty agitation before pouring. I do the same thing with orange juice to mix the pulp evenly. My kids don’t like pulp and my wife has bought nothing but pulp-free for the last 15 years. But my brain sees a gallon container of orange liquid in the fridge and my muscle memory automatically shakes the jug until I get to the table. ---
**Author:** ![BwanaBob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bwanabob/32/2985_2.png) [@BwanaBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BwanaBob)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2020, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/behaviours-still-done-though-theyre-no-longer-needed/852257/129 "2020-04-27T18:08:31Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > I’m kinda fascinated by how every other word in your post is correct but “Island” managed to gain \*four \* typos. (Wrong case, a deletion, two reversals.) The server hung/timed out while I was posting and I thought my corrections got through. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2020, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/behaviours-still-done-though-theyre-no-longer-needed/852257/130 "2020-04-27T18:14:53Z")
> [@ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness](#): > > I do the same thing with orange juice to mix the pulp evenly. My kids don’t like pulp and my wife has bought nothing but pulp-free for the last 15 years. But my brain sees a gallon container of orange liquid in the fridge and my muscle memory automatically shakes the jug until I get to the table. Oddly the pulp is just about the only thing that make OJ better than sugar water with vit C. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2020, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/behaviours-still-done-though-theyre-no-longer-needed/852257/131 "2020-04-27T18:40:01Z")
> [@kitap](#): > > I can’t open a can of soda without tapping the top. That probably wasn’t ever necessary for you. A few taps on a can does nothing to stop it from spurting when opened. My research indicated that after many hundreds of taps the can will stop spurting, but there may have been a problem in my methodology. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2020, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/behaviours-still-done-though-theyre-no-longer-needed/852257/132 "2020-04-27T18:56:21Z")
> [@Doug\_K](#): > > But it does matter. As I pointed out before, it’s the only way we have to distinguish between the end of a sentence and an abbreviation. The biggest effect it has for me is without the second space it becomes impossible to get an accurate sentence count. > > For publishing adherence to the two space convention would make it easier for the software to determine how much space between two words. There are numerous Wikipedia articles, like Dwight D. Eisenhower, where readability could be much improved by making that distinction. The rule is (and always has been) two spaces for a monospaced font; one space for a proportional font. Typewriters had monospaced fonts,\* so two spaces were needed. Most word processors use Times Roman, which is proportional, so one space is enough. I use Courier, so I use two spaces (part habit and part thinking Times Roman is not a very good looking font). \*Proportional font typewriters did exist, but were expensive and rarely used. ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@Doug\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_K)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2020, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/behaviours-still-done-though-theyre-no-longer-needed/852257/133 "2020-04-27T19:56:49Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > The rule is (and always has been) two spaces for a monospaced font; one space for a proportional font. > > Typewriters had monospaced fonts,\* so two spaces were needed. Most word processors use Times Roman, which is proportional, so one space is enough. I use Courier, so I use two spaces (part habit and part thinking Times Roman is not a very good looking font). > \*Proportional font typewriters did exist, but were expensive and rarely used. But again,whether monospaced or proportional, having two spaces at the end of a sentence gives an unambiguous signal that it’s the end of a sentence. If I’m trying to get an accurate sentence count or break a passage up into individual sentences, I don’t need the software parsing something like “Toward the end of the war Franklin D. Roosevelt made the decision to drop Henry A. Wallace from the 1944 presidential ticket.” into three sentences. ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2020, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/behaviours-still-done-though-theyre-no-longer-needed/852257/134 "2020-04-27T21:47:40Z")
> [@Doug\_K](#): > > But again,whether monospaced or proportional, having two spaces at the end of a sentence gives an unambiguous signal that it’s the end of a sentence. If I’m trying to get an accurate sentence count or break a passage up into individual sentences, I don’t need the software parsing something like “Toward the end of the war Franklin D. Roosevelt made the decision to drop Henry A. Wallace from the 1944 presidential ticket.” into three sentences. Why do you need or want an accurate sentence count? I write, edit, and layout a newsletter, and find it useful to keep a total word count to track how much space I’ve filled. But I’ve never even considered wanting to know the sentence count. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2020, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/behaviours-still-done-though-theyre-no-longer-needed/852257/135 "2020-04-28T04:55:45Z")
Microsoft reads the Dope! Just today [CNN came out with an article](https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/27/tech/microsoft-word-two-spaces-trnd/index.html) that states: "Microsoft has made its typographical decree: Two spaces between sentences is too many. The style choice will now be marked as an error in Microsoft Word – and users who press the space bar twice after a period will be met with those dreaded blue squiggly lines." ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2020, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/behaviours-still-done-though-theyre-no-longer-needed/852257/136 "2020-04-28T05:23:36Z")
> [@digs](#): > > Microsoft reads the Dope! > > Just today [CNN came out with an article](https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/27/tech/microsoft-word-two-spaces-trnd/index.html) that states: > > "Microsoft has made its typographical decree: Two spaces between sentences is too many. > > The style choice will now be marked as an error in Microsoft Word – and users who press the space bar twice after a period will be met with those dreaded blue squiggly lines." Big deal, it doesn t really matter one way or the other. The people that get het up about this are the same ones that hate Comic sans. ---
**Author:** ![Bert\_Nobbins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/aeb1de/32.png) [@Bert\_Nobbins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bert_Nobbins)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2020, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/behaviours-still-done-though-theyre-no-longer-needed/852257/137 "2020-04-28T12:48:01Z")
> [@Doug\_K](#): > > If I’m trying to get an accurate sentence count or break a passage up into individual sentences, I don’t need the software parsing something like “Toward the end of the war Franklin D. Roosevelt made the decision to drop Henry A. Wallace from the 1944 presidential ticket.” into three sentences. Well, I would write that as: Toward the end of the war Franklin D Roosevelt made the decision to drop Henry A Wallace from the 1944 presidential ticket. dropping the periods. I’ll always done that as it seems logical. (Captain) Surely it’s obvious that the lone capital letters are abbreviations? I will add that I have been writing stuff for publication most of my life, but I have never heard about the two-spaces rule until today. ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2020, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/behaviours-still-done-though-theyre-no-longer-needed/852257/138 "2020-04-28T13:53:58Z")
> [@Bert\_Nobbins](#): > > Well, I would write that as: > > Toward the end of the war Franklin D Roosevelt made the decision to drop Henry A Wallace from the 1944 presidential ticket. > > dropping the periods. I’ll always done that as it seems logical. (Captain) Surely it’s obvious that the lone capital letters are abbreviations? Not putting a period after an abbreviated name like that is contrary to virtually every style guide I’ve ever heard of. You’re free to do it yourself, of course. But you’ll be on your own. Before some other smart-ass – besides me – comes along to point it out, yes, Harry S. Truman did not have a middle name. (According to [Snopes](https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/harry-truman-middle-name/), his parents couldn’t decide which of two S-named relatives to honor, so gave him just the initial S.) This has led some people to assert that his S shouldn’t take a period, because it’s not an abbreviation of anything. However, as Snopes points out, Truman himself used the period, both in his signature, and in his personal letterhead. That would lead me, as an editor and creator of style guides, to follow his example and not create an exception to the standard style. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2020, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/behaviours-still-done-though-theyre-no-longer-needed/852257/139 "2020-04-28T13:58:21Z")
It was always considered necessary to put two spaces after a sentence when carving in stone. It was a real pain in the butt if you didn’t, your editor would throw that stone down in the quarry and you’d have to start all over again. Don’t get me started on “eats spears and leaves”. ---
**Author:** ![Terminus\_Est](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terminus_est/32/3087_2.png) [@Terminus\_Est](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terminus_Est)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2020, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/behaviours-still-done-though-theyre-no-longer-needed/852257/140 "2020-04-28T14:41:22Z")
> [@MarvinKitFox](#): > > If you are American, you may spell “behavior” without the ‘u’ > If you are ANYWHERE ELSE in the universe, “behaviour” should be spelt with the ‘u’. > And note that is “spelt”, not “spelled”. Again, unless you are American in which case you are allowed to cast spells on words as you like. The Philippines, an independent country, follows American spelling practices. Thanks for punting us out of the universe. Typical imperialist…:mad: ---
**Author:** ![Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulf_the_Unwashed)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2020, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/behaviours-still-done-though-theyre-no-longer-needed/852257/141 "2020-04-28T15:04:45Z")
> [@commasense](#): > > Why do you need or want an accurate sentence count? > > I write, edit, and layout a newsletter, and find it useful to keep a total word count to track how much space I’ve filled. But I’ve never even considered wanting to know the sentence count. I’ve published or edited books (both fiction and non-), textbooks, workbooks, online educational materials, manuals, magazine articles, and goodness knows what-all else. Word count is very common. In educational publishing in particular, line count can often be a valuable measure. Once in a while I’m asked for a character count (or given a min/max for that). I have never been asked for a sentence count. I’m also curious under what circumstances this would be an important determination of anything. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/behaviours-still-done-though-theyre-no-longer-needed/852257.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/behaviours-still-done-though-theyre-no-longer-needed/852257.md?page=8)