Did the IBM Selectronic Typewriter have "Proportional Spacing".....

[PROGRESSIVE1]

on it?

Was this an option in the 1970's?

[lilymidnite]

1. Yes, from personal experience

With a fancy Selectric, in the 1970's

[Warpy]

7. Links

Here are thumbnails of old ads, from 1935 onward. Links are at the bottom: http://www.etypewriters.com/history.htm

[zuzu98]

2. there's a thread here somewhaere

I'll try to find it. It includes an ad from the 40's (I think) touting the proportional spacing.

[mhr]

3. Yes, From The Early Sixties - It Was A Selling Feature And Appeared

In their ads.

[gristy]

4. yes

This has been discussed extensively. There are now (count 'em) 43 threads on DU with the word "proportional" and "spacing" in them from the last 24 hours.

[xxqqqzme]

5. yes, worked in a law office &

typed many a real property Deed on one. Also made it easier 2 fit names is prescribed spaces. Anyone who worked w/ this 'selectric', had a little plastic box w/ different fonts. U could pick what was needed or as the mood hit U. Had a 'courier' and a 'script' ball is all i can recall but I know that box held about 9 font balls....no probably 6.

[kskiska]

6. If you're referring to a standard Selectric

I don't remember proportional spacing. However, some models had "dual pitch," which meant the machine could be easily adjusted to use either "Elite" or "Pica" type sizes. Of course, type could be squeezed in if one was to use Pica type with Elite spacing.

The IBM Composer wasn't used as a typewriter. It was a typesetter and much more difficult to use. It wouldn't be used for daily tasks such as a letter.

[lilymidnite]

8. There were custom balls for Selectrics

I think. I had a pile of them in my desk. I typed in Greek and Russian script from time to time. I know there was a ball with a 'th' in superscript. I also used a very fancy Selectric with magnetic cards that you could program to do the dishes if you tried hard enough.

[papau]

12. IBM Composer was used for all tasks at the Pru Annuity area in 67

in Newark -if -

If you had a good title, you got "quality"

Proportional spacing was in my Sec workstations Composer typewriter in 69 - The $2500 Selectric had a Times Roman Ball - and Times Roman is defined as proportional - but that Selectric did not really do proportional.

[MadamImAdam]

9. Better question: How did it print the "th"?

The superscript "th" in the CBS documents was raised half-way above the typed line (consistent with MS Word, but inconsistent with military typewriters which kept everything in-line to avoid writing outside the pre-printed boxes of standard forms).

See what I mean?

[Individualist]

11. Wrong

It's obvious you didn't see tonight's CBS Evening News broadcast. If you had, you'd have seen them report that other military records released by the White House show the same superscript th. See www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/09/06/politics/main641481.shtml

[MadamImAdam]

18. I did see it and the "th" was not raised like the TANG docs

That is my point.

[Individualist]

24. See post #20

Your efforts to discredit have fallen flat.

[GOPisEvil]

14. Hahahahahahahahahahahaha!

*points*

Hahahahahahahahahahahahaha!

Nice try.

[papau]

15. raised th was standard in most Selectric's in late 60's.

indeed on the same Guard Forms released by the WH, the th appears NOT raised on one line - and in another entry it appears raised - and the form was filled out in "1969"

[MadamImAdam]

17. Why didn't Rather use the raised example?

That is the simple question. TANG docs had it raised and Rather's example did not. Why didn't he use the proof if it's there?

[Kathy in Cambridge]

20. Again, you are using information from RW sites that is not CREDIBLE

do some REAL research and we might take you seriously!

[MadamImAdam]

23. I saw it with my own eyes

The "th" example "proving" the CBS assertion was not anything like the TANG docs.

[papau]

21. See the Martin Heidt Feedom of Information Act data that he obtained

There is a boatload of proof there - from our government - that proves raised th and the lower th were used in the same office at the same time in 1969.

[Kathy in Cambridge]

19. BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

ARE YOU FUCKING SERIOUS? :eyes:

[fsbooks]

10. the "executive" model had it

My father used one in the 60's. He was working under NOC for the government overseas. They also had paper ribbons to provide crisp type and so that the day's work could be removed and destroyed (everything else kept in the safe.

[OilemFirchen]

13. The Executive was not a Selectric

The Executive used a type bar, while the Selectrics used balls.

The Selectric could not do proportional fonts, IIRC. The Executive (and its predecessors) could, because the platen could move in increments of spaces - up to eight, again IIRC. I think the Selectrics could move half-spaces, but I may be wrong. Certainly no finer an increment.

Both the Selectrics and Executive could do sub and postscript. The Selectric could, theoretically, do such with a smaller pitch font if the typist changed balls. The Executive was a fixed-pitch machine, so any super or subscript would be the same pitch as the rest of the document.

That said, it's entirely possible that the Executive had specific keys for ligature characters (it obviously had 1/2, 1/4, etc.) and may have included th, nd, etc.

Moreso, the Executive type bar could be changed, though it was a more daunting task than changing a Selectric ball. I doubt that a secretary would go to the trouble unless it was a requirement. I've read about an attachment of sorts that could hold special characters, but I have my doubts.

I'll stick my neck out and say, conclusively, that the docs are genuine. And my vote goes to an Executive.

Sure do wish someone had one of the beasts and could put this nonsense to rest...




Eddimented fer speelink.

[papau]

16. I agree - I recall it as you have described - you bought special keys in

order to get special characters

[ochazuke]

22. The Selectric Composer Does It All!

http://www.ibmcomposer.org/docs/Selectric%20Composer%20Operations%20Manual.pdf

The above instruction manual, which was set on the Selectric Composer, can do just about anything MS Word can.