I'll agree that "Should have" and "Should of" are equivalent in spoken language. However, the purpose of grammar, especially in written language, is to make it understandable by anybody who reads it. For those who first learned that "should have" is the "correct" expression, reading an otherwise standard sentence with "should of" in the middle of it disrupts the flow of the sentence. This is true with many phrases and spellings that have adapted from spoken language.
It is true that slashdot and many other forums don't require standard English, and I'm fine with that, as long as I can still understand what is said. If I can't understand it, I just ignore the post. Basically, if you can't make your opinions understandable, I don't think they deserve to be read.
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I'll agree that "Should have" and "Should of" are equivalent in spoken language. However, the purpose of grammar, especially in written language, is to make it understandable by anybody who reads it. For those who first learned that "should have" is the "correct" expression, reading an otherwise standard sentence with "should of" in the middle of it disrupts the flow of the sentence. This is true with many phrases and spellings that have adapted from spoken language.
It is true that slashdot and many other forums don't require standard English, and I'm fine with that, as long as I can still understand what is said. If I can't understand it, I just ignore the post. Basically, if you can't make your opinions understandable, I don't think they deserve to be read.