[dotancohen]

Regarding harmless stuff like pointless spaces.

I know a person who uses two spaces between his first and last name, because his culture users a second given name yet he has none. So, one space between the first given name and the second (nonexistent) given name, then another space between the second (nonexistent) given name and the family name.

You might think it is weird or unnecessary, but that is his identity. One could counter with far weirder or seemingly unnecessary things we accept regarding peoples' identity today.

[WillAdams]

Obvious solution is for this person to adopt the "Zero Width Non Joiner" character as their middle name --- that would ensure that this doubled-up-space would be preserved.

[dotancohen]

I hate to belittle a point, but your obvious solution is wrong.

For one thing, considering that you know that unicode even exists, then it is likely that you know the difference between NULL and the "Zero Width Non Joiner" character. His second given name is NULL.

Secondly, throwing obscure technical solutions to laymens' problems for which they already have a working solution is nearly always a problem in the making.