User talk:Chinchou

Welcome to the Dwarf Fortress wiki! We're always glad to have another editor fixing things around here.--Loci (talk) 20:07, 3 March 2016 (UTC)

Colon Usage

Regarding this sentence from DF2014:Adamantine:

"Adamantine has extreme material properties: it is nigh weightless (weighing about as much as cork), extremely strong, and razor sharp."

The characteristics following the colon describe/explain the extreme material properties stated in the first part of the sentence. It is not necessary to separate those two closely-related thoughts into two sentences. Wikipedia has more information on proper colon usage.

It is also unnecessary to double-space after a period. That "rule" is an unfortunate hold-over from typewriters; modern computers can properly space sentences automatically. In fact, the wiki software completely disregards extra spaces.--Loci (talk) 20:07, 3 March 2016 (UTC)

The statement "modern computers can properly space sentences automatically" is misleading. While they *can* automatically correct spacing, such a task relies on scripting which is not common. Saying that full stops and their associated pauses/spacing are "an unfortunate hold-over from typewriters" is misinformation. There are two issues with the latter quoted statement:
- First, it originated from handwriting and was carried over to typewriters.
- Second, the spacing is indicative of whether there is a full stop or a half stop. Incorrect spacing(such as leaving one space after a full stop) leads to writing that is, at best, difficult to read. The only people I have seen who do not pause after speaking a sentence are hyper-active children - if you've listened to someone who speaks like that, you likely know that it can be quite difficult to understand them. The same holds true in written and typed messages - especially when capitalisation is ignored.

As for colon usage, your statement regarding breaks in ideas is irrelevant. Nowhere did I indicate that there was a break in the idea, nor did I ever indicate that it should be split into two sentences. Once again, full stops are followed by a capitalised letter, while half stops are not. Capitalisation is the issue, not whether there is a break in the idea. Capitalisation and spacing are important for any written or typed message - withoutthemwewillendupwithmessagesthatalllooklikethiswhichareverydifficulttoreadletaloneunderstandduetothelackofpunctuationspacesandcapitalisationandisinnowayproperenglish.

As for the wiki ignoring full-stop spacing... The wiki also ignores some line breaks, forcing me to use HTML break tags in this very message. "A piece of software does it" does not equate to "it is universally and irrefutably correct".

As a final note: If there is a reference for a common dialect on this specific wiki, a link to it would be appreciated. Despite a cursory search, I found no such reference. Without such a reference, I am left to assume that I should use my local dialect for all contributions. Chinchou (talk) 01:30, 4 March 2016 (UTC)

The wiki ignores single line breaks. Double line breaks create a paragraph break. (More formatting information can be found here.)

Regarding spaces, single and double spaces are required to be rendered exactly the same by the HTML standard (unless specified otherwise with CSS, but that isn't the case here). Double spaces will look different in the editor, but there's no difference in how the final page is displayed. —Lethosor (talk) 02:36, 4 March 2016 (UTC)

I apologize if my first note upset you; I assure you that was not the intent. Line spacing is a non-issue since the wiki software ignores extra spaces. You can read more about the history and controversy on Wikipedia.

According to Wikipedia, a "full stop" is a period which ends a sentence by definition. Colons, along with semicolons and dashes, are used to combine closely-related clauses into a single sentence for brevity, clarity, and variety. While it is acceptable to capitalize the character following a colon in some circumstances, it is generally acceptable not to capitalize it as well.

As for the DFWiki's recommended style, the information can be found under the "Community Portal" link in the left bar. In particular, Rule S would apply. In general, if more than one style is "correct" then you can write in whichever your prefer; you should not, however, edit articles just to adapt from one "correct" style to another.--Loci (talk) 04:07, 4 March 2016 (UTC)