# For all the reasons Microsuck is going to hell, Alt+0146 is the hellishest **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [January 18, 2009, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-all-the-reasons-microsuck-is-going-to-hell-alt-0146-is-the-hellishest/481830 "2009-01-18T05:19:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2009, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-all-the-reasons-microsuck-is-going-to-hell-alt-0146-is-the-hellishest/481830/1 "2009-01-18T05:19:21Z")
Thanks, Microsoft, for removing the apostrophe from our culture. Rather than find some way to make your “curly quotes” easier to manage, you hid the apostrophe behind the ASCII code Alt+0146 and put the left single-quote mark in its place. And since it’s less important an issue than, oh say the Holocaust, most people could give a shit, and see no problem in going through life apostrophe free. Now we have an entire generation of people who probably have no earthly idea what I’m talking about. Fucking fascists. ---
**Author:** ![Collaborator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Collaborator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Collaborator)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2009, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-all-the-reasons-microsuck-is-going-to-hell-alt-0146-is-the-hellishest/481830/2 "2009-01-18T05:29:03Z")
Apple exists entirely for people like you. ---
**Author:** ![lee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lee/32/7455_2.png) [@lee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lee)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2009, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-all-the-reasons-microsuck-is-going-to-hell-alt-0146-is-the-hellishest/481830/3 "2009-01-18T05:53:33Z")
What an apostrophic catastrophe! I need actual apostrophes for text processing. Damn them and their curly quotes to hell. ---
**Author:** ![Indistinguishable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/90ced4/32.png) [@Indistinguishable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indistinguishable)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2009, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-all-the-reasons-microsuck-is-going-to-hell-alt-0146-is-the-hellishest/481830/4 "2009-01-18T06:20:31Z")
> [@lissener](#): > > Rather than find some way to make your “curly quotes” easier to manage, you hid the apostrophe behind the ASCII code Alt+0146 and put the left single-quote mark in its place.. Not the right single-quote mark? ---
**Author:** ![SmartAleq](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smartaleq/32/163_2.png) [@SmartAleq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmartAleq)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2009, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-all-the-reasons-microsuck-is-going-to-hell-alt-0146-is-the-hellishest/481830/5 "2009-01-18T06:30:43Z")
I told him right then–it should be easy to see. The crux of the biscuit is the apostrophe! ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2009, 7:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-all-the-reasons-microsuck-is-going-to-hell-alt-0146-is-the-hellishest/481830/6 "2009-01-18T07:35:20Z")
It is written that many false apostrophes will rise in the End Times. ---
**Author:** ![TWDuke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e495f1/32.png) [@TWDuke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TWDuke)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2009, 7:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-all-the-reasons-microsuck-is-going-to-hell-alt-0146-is-the-hellishest/481830/7 "2009-01-18T07:43:18Z")
> [@Indistinguishable](#): > > Not the right single-quote mark? No. If you’re using Microsoft Word, e.g., with it’s default settings, typing _’_ at the beginning of a group of characters will give you a single opening quotation mark so, e.g., **'90s** , e.g., becomes **‘90s** instead of **’90s**. A common work-around is to type two apostrophes and delete the first one. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2009, 7:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-all-the-reasons-microsuck-is-going-to-hell-alt-0146-is-the-hellishest/481830/8 "2009-01-18T07:45:40Z")
Why does this matter? I’m slightly irritated by not having a readily available emdash, instead we only have the minus sign. But really, when it comes down to it, who cares? ---
**Author:** ![Hunter\_Hawk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/50afbb/32.png) [@Hunter\_Hawk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hunter_Hawk)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2009, 8:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-all-the-reasons-microsuck-is-going-to-hell-alt-0146-is-the-hellishest/481830/9 "2009-01-18T08:14:16Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > I’m slightly irritated by not having a readily available emdash FWIW, in Winword you can enter an em dash by pressing Ctrl+Alt+Minus (use the minus key in the numeric keypad). An en dash is Ctrl+Minus. I’m not sure whether this works in other applications. ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2009, 8:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-all-the-reasons-microsuck-is-going-to-hell-alt-0146-is-the-hellishest/481830/10 "2009-01-18T08:18:48Z")
> [@TWDuke](#): > > No. If you’re using Microsoft Word, e.g., with it’s default settings, typing _’_ at the beginning of a group of characters will give you a single opening quotation mark so, e.g., **'90s** , e.g., becomes **‘90s** instead of **’90s**. A common work-around is to type two apostrophes and delete the first one. Well, apostrophes are all very well, but some people just get too fond of them. ---
**Author:** ![Merneith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/57b2e6/32.png) [@Merneith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merneith)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2009, 11:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-all-the-reasons-microsuck-is-going-to-hell-alt-0146-is-the-hellishest/481830/11 "2009-01-18T11:18:17Z")
> [@TWDuke](#): > > No. If you’re using Microsoft Word, e.g., with it’s default settings, typing _’_ at the beginning of a group of characters will give you a single opening quotation mark so, e.g., **'90s** , e.g., becomes **‘90s** instead of **’90s**. A common work-around is to type two apostrophes and delete the first one. Hunh. What to do you know. I suspect the _most_ common work-around is to not care in the first place. However, for those who prefer a technical solution, in Word 2007 you can go into the Autocorrect options under “Proofing” on the Word Options pane and add a custom autocorrect, using TWDuke’s method by typing a single apostrophe in the “Replace” field and then two apostrophes, & deleting the first, in the “With” field. Of course then you’d have to find the ascii code for the upside down one, assuming you’d ever want it. Evil nasty upside down apostrophes. ---
**Author:** ![Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/half_man_half_wit/32/21766_2.png) [@Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Half_Man_Half_Wit)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2009, 11:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-all-the-reasons-microsuck-is-going-to-hell-alt-0146-is-the-hellishest/481830/12 "2009-01-18T11:40:24Z")
OK, so what exactly are the distinctions between ´, ’, `,‘ and '? Or, for that matter, between ", “ and ”? I’m not asking this to be facetious, I’ve just pretty much always used them interchangeably – even though this occasionally leads to ambiguities, such as when I quote things like ‘I’m not asking this to be facetious’ in single quotes… EDIT: The ’,‘ and the corresponding doubles look a hell of a lot differently when they’re posted than they do in the write post box… ---
**Author:** ![Knowed\_Out](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/knowed_out/32/7380_2.png) [@Knowed\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knowed_Out)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2009, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-all-the-reasons-microsuck-is-going-to-hell-alt-0146-is-the-hellishest/481830/13 "2009-01-18T12:51:13Z")
1/2man1/2wit: The straight apostrophe is used as an abbr for feet and the straight endquote is used for inches. Using the curlies for technical documents makes them look kind of gay. ---
**Author:** ![seodoa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4af34b/32.png) [@seodoa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/seodoa)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2009, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-all-the-reasons-microsuck-is-going-to-hell-alt-0146-is-the-hellishest/481830/14 "2009-01-18T13:20:51Z")
> [@Knowed\_Out](#): > > Using the curlies for technical documents makes them look kind of gay. So, in other words, absolutely fabulous? :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/cc9497/32.png) [@Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capt.Ridley_s_Shooting_Party)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2009, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-all-the-reasons-microsuck-is-going-to-hell-alt-0146-is-the-hellishest/481830/15 "2009-01-18T14:05:47Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > Why does this matter? > > I’m slightly irritated by not having a readily available emdash, instead we only have the minus sign. But really, when it comes down to it, who cares? Does Word insert em and en dashes automatically? Also, what happens when you type three minus signs in a row (curious)? ---
**Author:** ![seodoa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4af34b/32.png) [@seodoa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/seodoa)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2009, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-all-the-reasons-microsuck-is-going-to-hell-alt-0146-is-the-hellishest/481830/16 "2009-01-18T14:20:34Z")
> [@Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](#): > > Does Word insert em and en dashes automatically? Also, what happens when you type three minus signs in a row (curious)? Two minus signs in a row will give you an em dash, IIRC. En dashes are not so easily written. ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2009, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-all-the-reasons-microsuck-is-going-to-hell-alt-0146-is-the-hellishest/481830/17 "2009-01-18T14:20:37Z")
Punctuation is a pain in the : ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2009, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-all-the-reasons-microsuck-is-going-to-hell-alt-0146-is-the-hellishest/481830/18 "2009-01-18T15:52:29Z")
> [@Merneith](#): > > I suspect the _most_ common work-around is to not care in the first place. That has worked very well for me over the years. Which reminds me of a true story. When I was very young I was trying to get my uncle interested in lending me a hand with something. After listening he slowly and thoughtfully said to me “You know, out of 100 things in life I could not care less about 99 and what you just told me is one of them”. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2009, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-all-the-reasons-microsuck-is-going-to-hell-alt-0146-is-the-hellishest/481830/19 "2009-01-18T15:58:35Z")
> [@sailor](#): > > That has worked very well for me over the years. > > Which reminds me of a true story. When I was very young I was trying to get my uncle interested in lending me a hand with something. After listening he slowly and thoughtfully said to me “You know, out of 100 things in life I could not care less about 99 and what you just told me is one of them”. Err…is this an example of a story for which punctuation would make it make more sense? ---
**Author:** ![kushiel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bbce88/32.png) [@kushiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kushiel)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2009, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-all-the-reasons-microsuck-is-going-to-hell-alt-0146-is-the-hellishest/481830/20 "2009-01-18T16:27:11Z")
As a web developer who has to deal with content going straight from Word to web, I have to say: _Fuck you with a rusty, syphilitic spork, smart quotes and em dashes_ You tell the users not to copy straight from Word to their CMS editor? Ha ha ha like they listen. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/for-all-the-reasons-microsuck-is-going-to-hell-alt-0146-is-the-hellishest/481830.md?page=2)