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Re: Searching for "fraction slash" -- solved

Cross-posted to 2 groups.

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In article <isw-8940AB.22090621032015@news-roam.garlic.com>, isw
<isw@witzend.com> wrote:
> In article <220320150957100852%YourName@YourISP.com>,
>  Your Name <YourName@YourISP.com> wrote:
> > In article <isw-2E469B.20163420032015@news-roam.garlic.com>, isw
> > <isw@witzend.com> wrote:
> > > In article <210320151319109752%YourName@YourISP.com>,
> > > > >
> > > > > Interestingly, the Language & Text/Text option to automatically
> > > > > replace 
> > > > > "big" fractions with "small" ones (multiple characters with a single 
> > > > > one) *does not work* if the fraction uses a fraction slash.
> > > > 
> > > > You can of course add your own automatic replacement option to work
> > > > with the fraction slash.
> > > 
> > > Well, sure, but I do think it's a bit ironic that a system function that 
> > > is presumably intended to make fractions "look better" fails completely 
> > > if the "proper" type of slash is used.
> > 
> > Not really - most people don't even know there is a different slash,
> > let alone use it, so why bother wasting system time looking for
> > something that's extremely rarely going to be typed (especially since
> > in many fonts it probably doesn't even look any different, if it exists
> > at all).
> 
> It's an option that replaces a large version of a fraction composed of 
> three glyphs with a smaller, single one. Presumably, someone would 
> select that system option because they prefer the appearance of the 
> smaller version. Except that if the large fraction is typed "properly" 
> (with a fraction slash), then the replacement fails.

Most people don't know about a "fraction slash", so they simply type
fractions using the normal slash. Mac OS X has the option to replace a
fraction typed that way with a proper fraction character for those who
want it to do so.

The miniscule number of people who know about the fraction slash can
add their own replacement, but it's a bit worthless since it's a little
quicker to simply use a normal slash anyway. When they type a "fraction
slash" it's because that's what they want and don't want it replaced.



> There has been, for years (starting in about 1984), a slow but 
> progressive tendency to move away from "typewriter" style text 
> formatting towards something more like what a typesetter would produce. 
> The use of the faction slash, along with a number of other character 
> shapes not available on a typewriter -- en dash and em dash, a large 
> variety of diacritical marks, etc., can be expected to continue to 
> increase.

Maybe, but the vast majority of people simply don't know about them or
use them ... nor do they really care.

In some cases it's like the fraction replacement above. Someone types a
normal hyphen / minus sign and the software automatically replaces it
with a longer dash. The person typing doesn't even know or care that is
has been replaced.



> But it takes a long time. There are still lots of folks who habitually 
> hit the space bar twice between sentences.

Yep, replacing double-spaces with a single space is usually the first
task in any documents I receive to work with.

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Thread

Searching for "fraction slash" isw <isw@witzend.com> - 2015-03-19 20:37 -0700
  Re: Searching for "fraction slash" Your Name <YourName@YourISP.com> - 2015-03-20 18:22 +1200
    Re: Searching for "fraction slash" isw <isw@witzend.com> - 2015-03-20 10:59 -0700
  Re: Searching for "fraction slash" Savageduck <savageduck1@{REMOVESPAM}me.com> - 2015-03-19 22:36 -0700
  Re: Searching for "fraction slash" Jolly Roger <jollyroger@pobox.com> - 2015-03-20 13:48 +0000
    Re: Searching for "fraction slash" -- solved isw <isw@witzend.com> - 2015-03-20 15:08 -0700
      Re: Searching for "fraction slash" -- solved Savageduck <savageduck1@{REMOVESPAM}me.com> - 2015-03-20 16:40 -0700
        Re: Searching for "fraction slash" -- solved Your Name <YourName@YourISP.com> - 2015-03-21 13:19 +1200
          Re: Searching for "fraction slash" -- solved Savageduck <savageduck1@{REMOVESPAM}me.com> - 2015-03-20 18:08 -0700
        Re: Searching for "fraction slash" -- solved isw <isw@witzend.com> - 2015-03-20 20:21 -0700
      Re: Searching for "fraction slash" -- solved Jolly Roger <jollyroger@pobox.com> - 2015-03-21 00:03 +0000
        Re: Searching for "fraction slash" -- solved isw <isw@witzend.com> - 2015-03-20 20:20 -0700
          Re: Searching for "fraction slash" -- solved Jolly Roger <jollyroger@pobox.com> - 2015-03-21 12:48 +0000
            Re: Searching for "fraction slash" -- solved isw <isw@witzend.com> - 2015-03-21 21:47 -0700
              Re: Searching for "fraction slash" -- solved Your Name <YourName@YourISP.com> - 2015-03-22 18:00 +1200
              Re: Searching for "fraction slash" -- solved Jolly Roger <jollyroger@pobox.com> - 2015-03-22 12:15 +0000
                Re: Searching for "fraction slash" -- solved Michelle Steiner <michelle@michelle.org> - 2015-03-22 08:39 -0700
                Re: Searching for "fraction slash" -- solved Jolly Roger <jollyroger@pobox.com> - 2015-03-22 15:47 +0000
                Re: Searching for "fraction slash" -- solved Lewis <g.kreme@gmail.com.dontsendmecopies> - 2015-03-23 02:54 +0000
                Re: Searching for "fraction slash" -- solved dempson@actrix.gen.nz (David Empson) - 2015-03-23 16:51 +1300
                Re: Searching for "fraction slash" -- solved Michelle Steiner <michelle@michelle.org> - 2015-03-22 21:42 -0700
                Re: Searching for "fraction slash" -- solved Jolly Roger <jollyroger@pobox.com> - 2015-03-23 13:25 +0000
                Re: Searching for "fraction slash" -- solved Jolly Roger <jollyroger@pobox.com> - 2015-03-23 13:23 +0000
                Re: Searching for "fraction slash" -- solved isw <isw@witzend.com> - 2015-03-22 21:27 -0700
      Re: Searching for "fraction slash" -- solved Your Name <YourName@YourISP.com> - 2015-03-21 13:19 +1200
        Re: Searching for "fraction slash" -- solved isw <isw@witzend.com> - 2015-03-20 20:16 -0700
          Re: Searching for "fraction slash" -- solved Jolly Roger <jollyroger@pobox.com> - 2015-03-21 12:40 +0000
          Re: Searching for "fraction slash" -- solved Your Name <YourName@YourISP.com> - 2015-03-22 09:57 +1200
            Re: Searching for "fraction slash" -- solved isw <isw@witzend.com> - 2015-03-21 22:09 -0700
              Re: Searching for "fraction slash" -- solved Your Name <YourName@YourISP.com> - 2015-03-22 19:19 +1200

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