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Double-space after a full stop - yes or no?
Do a quick search for "space twice after a period" or "double space after a full stop" and you'll see almost unanimous opposition to this quaint old habit. HTML simply ignores the second space; modern versions of Word autocorrect to a single space. Or, more correctly, Word formats by default to a single space, and you could change that to two spaces if you wished.
This is a typesetting issue that was relevant in the past. Two spaces after a full stop (International English) or period (US English) was appropriate for use on typewriters and newsprint, where the fonts, kerning and print quality were not always optimal for readability. It is still apt for print use in some circumstances, where some combinations of font, kerning and colour may make readability sub-optimal otherwise.
Many computer and Internet applications, though, remove any extra space to leave only the one. Therefore, since it is no longer required; it is often not possible; and for continuity and consistency; only one space should be used.
Best fonts for on-screen useThere are clear differences between the requirements for print and monitor use. For example, the best fonts for on-screen use are sans-serif fonts; the best for print use are often serif fonts. Serif fonts are the more complex ones with the squiggly bits on, like Times New Roman - typewriter-style fonts in fact. Sans-serif fonts are 'clean' fonts with little embellishment, like Arial.
As a general rule, sans-serif fonts should be used for computer applications, eg:
Arial / Helvetica - the quick red fox jumps over the lazy brown dog.
Verdana - the quick red fox jumps over the lazy brown dog.
Tahoma - the quick red fox jumps over the lazy brown dog.
[each of the preceding in its correct font at 10-point]
...and so on - these are the most common, in order of popularity.
Best fonts for use in printSerif fonts may be best for printed materials in some circumstances. These include:
Times New Roman - the quick red fox jumps over the lazy brown dog. [12-point here]
Courier New - the quick red fox jumps over the lazy brown dog.
Georgia - the quick red fox jumps over the lazy brown dog.
Where exceptions are made, the clear difference is no doubt part of the required effect - the use of Courier for code 'quotes' onscreen, for example.
Best font size on-screenVerdana is probably the best sans-serif font for small text on-screen, of 8 and 10-point size usually; Arial may be superior at the larger sizes from 14-point upward. It depends entirely on preference and application. For example, if a narrow column of text is used, then Arial would be a better choice than Verdana, since the latter is wider; a sentence using Verdana will be approximately 15% 'wider' than the same text in Arial. This page is in Verdana 10-point, with the main heading at the top in Arial.
Of course, you often see what you think is a double space - but actually it's the extra spacing introduced just in that line in order to fully justify it (align it flush on both left and right). For example, on this page the spacing between: <...past. Two...> in line 1 of paragraph 2, has been stretched by the adjustment required for full justification.
Which is perhaps another reason why full justification looks quite smooth - assuming the column width is sufficient, as it often jars visually when used for a narrow column.
There
are many interesting circumstances surrounding the early use of fonts
on-screen, which are tied up with the history of IBM, Apple, Adobe (who
were font designers initially) and Microsoft.
So the answer to the question "How to double space after a period on a computer?"
is now, in essence, "You can't, you don't need to, and it is
unnecessary". Conventions have changed and it is no longer taught -
since in practice it cannot be executed much of the time anyway. Times
change.
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Two spaces after stop 
