Computers: Why Using Spaces To Line Up Text Is A Bad Idea

Why Using Spaces To Line Up Text Is A Bad Idea

Written by Rafael Van Dyke

With typewriters being almost a thing of repparttar

past, you would think that repparttar 107873

typewriter mentality would go along with it. But old habits due die hard; and there’s one that makes me cringe every time I see it – lining up row of text with repparttar 107874

spacebar.

This worked very well with typewriters and even most word processors because you could count every character (including repparttar 107875 space) to be exactly repparttar 107876 same size. For example, let’s say you wanted to create 4 rows of text divided into three columns. You would start off by simply typing repparttar 107877 text you wanted in repparttar 107878 first column and then hit repparttar 107879 spacebar repeatedly until you got to where wanted repparttar 107880 next column of text, and repeat these steps for repparttar 107881 third column of text. For repparttar 107882 next 3 rows, you would press enter, type your first block of text and hit repparttar 107883 spacebar again until you were in repparttar 107884 same spot that repparttar 107885 previous 2nd column started, and repparttar 107886 same with repparttar 107887 3rd column.

This technique stills works in today’s word processing programs, as long as you continue to use fixed width fonts like Courier or Courier New. There’s repparttar 107888 catch, you typically won’t use fixed width fonts to type your documents with. Instead, you’ll be using TrueType fonts like Times New Roman and Arial where each character size is different; therefore, repparttar 107889 old spacing technique will never work. Don’t be lazy and settle for jagged alignments; learn repparttar 107890 new and improved techniques to line up text.

Using repparttar 107891 Default Tab Stops The simple way to line text is to use repparttar 107892 default tab stops that are set with every new document (typically every half inch). You would use repparttar 107893 same technique as before, except you would hit repparttar 107894 tab key instead of repparttar 107895 spacebar. Using repparttar 107896 tab key actually gets you to your spot a lot faster and you don’t have worry about lining up text because repparttar 107897 tab stops are in exactly repparttar 107898 same place on every line.

Creating Your Own Tab Stops Creating tab stops in your document is not a new technique. You can actually create tab stops on a typewriter; but it was considered an advanced technique, so only expert typists used them. The concept is still repparttar 107899 new, but Microsoft Word makes a lot easier to create them. To create your own tab stops, simply click in repparttar 107900 bottom half of repparttar 107901 Ruler Bar where you want them each of them set. You’ll know it’s set when you see an “L” in repparttar 107902 ruler bar. After they’re all set, you only have to hit repparttar 107903 tab key once and it will automatically go repparttar 107904 next stop. If you need to make a change to any tab stop location, just click and drag repparttar 107905 “L” along repparttar 107906 ruler; you can also click and drag repparttar 107907 “L” off repparttar 107908 ruler to remove a tab stop.

Do You Make REGULAR Backups?

Written by John Evans

"Do You Make REGULAR Backups? If You Don't... It Could Cost You" copyright 2002 John Evans

One of repparttar very basic computer 'rules' is to always make backup copies of your important files.

That is not only good advice, it's extremely essential.

You've probably heard repparttar 107872 saying that it's not IF your hard drive will crash, but WHEN!

But crashing is not repparttar 107873 only way to lose files. What about accidently deleting files, and then emptying repparttar 107874 Recyle Bin?

Suppose you wanted to delete repparttar 107875 files on a floppy in your 'A' drive. Also suppose that you forgot to switch to repparttar 107876 'A' drive before you hit "delete." I hate to admit it, but I've done this TWICE. (Some of us learn repparttar 107877 hard way.) So, I lost everything on repparttar 107878 hard drive.

Everything...

Then, of course, I had to reinstall Windows, and find all repparttar 107879 floppies that contained my backup files, and reinstall everything. Very time-consuming.

It wasn't too bad at that time, because I had just started fooling around with computers, and didn't have much on mine. Hadn't even signed up for an online service, yet.

But what if my online business had been up and running at that time, and I had no backups...?

The second time this happened, I did have backups, but they were on 1.44mb floppies. A LOT of 1.44mb floppies.

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