User interface question
Which is easier to read (assuming you're reading this directly instead of via an RSS aggregator, that you're reading from a Windows or Mac workstation (or a Linux box that you've wedged the appropriate fonts into) and furthermore that you're reading with something other than lynx)?
Content that's displayed with a generic serif font?
Content that's displayed in Times New Roman?
Content that's displayed with a generic sans serif typeface?
Content that's displayed with the Microsoft Tahoma typeface?
I'd set up voting software, but I don't have any at hand.
Personally, I like the clean rangy lines of TNR, but all of my tty windows are set up to use the Lucida Console sans-serif font (not a perfect font, but one that can be found on every gui'ed platform I use, and which is neutral to the eyes if you set it to the proper pointside (11pts or ~18 pixels high). And even though I really like the proportions of Tahoma, I find the generic sans serif fonts I can find on Linux and W*nd*ws to be just a little bit cramped.
Comments
Luxi Sans and Luxi Mono (what I’m seeing my name and email in and what I’m seeing this in, respectively) are shipping with recentish xorg X11s; doesn’t help you at all unless you’re looking for something for you to use.
Web pages, there’s no telling – lots of people over-ride the font and font sizes and the default font mappings, too. Generally considered good practice to specify “serif” or “monospace”, etc. and not any more than that.
Comments are closed
Sans-serif fonts are the work of the Devil, used by oh-so-elite poncy Web Designers to make their pages look Clean! And! Contemporary! Much like an early use of Helvetica, on the side of Geneva garbage trucks. SS fonts might look pretty from a distance, but they’re unusable for any length of time - ever try to read a novel set in sans-serif? It’s an annoyance at best, a book-flinging frustration in most cases, and winter firestarter for the worst examples.