title: Why are there &nbsp; characters in so many random places?
body: <p>I'm working on merging two branches of a web application and I've noticed there are a <em>ton</em> of <code>&amp;nbsp;</code> all over the ASPX pages.</p>
  
  <p>I've read that certain versions of IE / Netscape have issues with empty table data tags like so:</p>
  
  <p><code>&lt;TD&gt;&lt;/TD&gt;</code> </p>
  
  <p>and "require" an <code>&amp;nbsp;</code> in between to display as desired but I'm finding them all over the place, one or more before and or after various ASP controls, none surrounding others. Some prefacing labels / "floating" text (for lack of a better word) like <code>&lt;TD&gt;&amp;nbsp;Some Text&lt;/TD&gt;</code></p>
  
  <p>It's making this whole process painfully difficult and slow when WinMerge is telling me two lines are different but it's really just because there's an arbitrary <code>&amp;nbsp;</code> thrown in somewhere and there's no easy way for me to get a graphical representation of the different versions in SVN.</p>
  
  <p>Is there any real rule of thumb for when or how to use the character? The web application is IE only, primarily targeting versions 7-9 or versions newer than that in Compatibility Mode. Chrome / FireFox etc. unsupported, if that helps narrow down reasoning behind its use.</p>