24 ms·

Same typewriters that didn't bother having dedicated "0" and "1" keys?

• mcv 1y ago
  Clearly computer have introduced a lot more symbols to the keyboard, but for whatever reason, the em-dash wasn't one of them. Not, at least, as part of the original sets of unmodified and shifted keys. There are more symbols hidden under option and ctrl, but those aren't shown on the keyboard and therefore hard to find and unknown to most people.
  • bluGill 1y ago
    computers often insert them for you when you type a normal dash.
  • dragonwriter 1y ago
    > Clearly computer have introduced a lot more symbols to the keyboard, but for whatever reason, the em-dash wasn't one of them Forms distinguished by width weren’t added to computer keyboards as separate keys because computer keyboards, like typewriters, solidified when computer displays were monospaced. (And, like other forms like proper opening and closing quotes, limited space on the keyboard was a concern.)