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The computer types who designed the first word processing programs were not typographers. They were very interested in cramming the absolute maximum of information into the absolute minimum number of bits. One of the reasons that English is the lingua franca of computers is that English has no cedillas, enyes, accent marks, etc, that most European languages have.
There are three different lexicographic functions that a little dot on the baseline serves:
* A decimal point: "$123.45". No space after
* An abbreviation indicator: "Dr. Jones". One space after
* A full stop: End of sentence. Two spaces after
The number of spaces after a period (or other full stop, like a question mark or a colon) is moot anyway -- Microsoft got there first. Microsoft Word has decreed that there shall be one space after a period. Selah, the Gods have spoken. To add insult to injury, they use the narrowest possible space character.
There are three different lexicographic functions that a little dot on the baseline serves:
* A decimal point: "$123.45". No space after
* An abbreviation indicator: "Dr. Jones". One space after
* A full stop: End of sentence. Two spaces after
The number of spaces after a period (or other full stop, like a question mark or a colon) is moot anyway -- Microsoft got there first. Microsoft Word has decreed that there shall be one space after a period. Selah, the Gods have spoken. To add insult to injury, they use the narrowest possible space character.
