TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
Re: I favor the "1: texttext" format over the "1. texttext" format for this
arena, although it is nonstandard & violates the rule of Two Spaces After Every
Colon from English 101.
This "2 spaces after periods and colons" business is erroneous MOST of the time.
The 2 spaces are required for monospaced TYPED text (i.e., typed on a
typewriter), but not for proportionally spaced typeset or desktop-published
text.
The reason is that in typeset or dtp text, the compositor (human or mechanical)
needs leeway to stretch or contract all spaces for justification and
line-fitting. In some systems, if you put two spaces, the compositor is forced
to use two spaces.
Having said that (one of my gripes--can you tell?), ASCII text is essentially
typed monospaced text, so the 2-space rule makes sense here.
