Rant - Small font sizes

[dorayme]

I don't see what the relevance of this is but yes, I can ski. In fact I hold
a ski instructors certificate. Would you like a couple of lessons?

Take that Boji! You might now think hard before making
patronising references to this country in the future because you
should now know that I will remind you that Richard can ski and
then you will want to pull your head in.

 

[Neredbojias]

What is a fussbudget? Never heard the term before.

A fussbudget is a person who whines and complains so much that she or he
has to budget his talking time in order to avoid asphyxiating herself.

Did I complain? I don't think so. I thought I provided a solution to
the rant, and followed on with a further rant of my own, one that I
feel quite strongly about. If you saw it differently then so be it.
Your problem.

Well, I don't want to be argumentative, and I certainly don't have a
problem with your problem, hypothetical or otherwise. It just seemed to me
that you were mewling a bit over a trite subject whose point has been much
belabored in this forum. However, I may possess some hypersensitivity,
myself, in that regard from the incessant puling and bellyaching I've
repeatedly perused about the same old topics over and over and over again.
Call me jaded if you must but don't call me late for dinner. I meant no
real offense, -was just trying to stir up some new variety of goulash, I
guess. No hard feelings.

I don't see what the relevance of this is but yes, I can ski. In fact
I hold a ski instructors certificate. Would you like a couple of
lessons?

I just said that 'cause you mentioned a trip to Canada in the past. And I
sorta wish I could ski, but I just can't stand cold weather. Might be an
especially strong hereditary aversion from the Ice Age.

 

[Neredbojias]

Take that Boji! You might now think hard before making
patronising references to this country in the future because you
should now know that I will remind you that Richard can ski and
then you will want to pull your head in.

What do you think I am, -a turtle? And when have I ever made patronising
references to whatever country it is that you are talking about? If you
mean Australia and are alluding to my comments on its upside-downness, that
is a relative thing which by no means denigrates the inhabitants of the
land. To Australians, it is United Statesmen who are upside-down (although
since there are more of us, we naturally establish the reference.) Just
don't poop on yourself in your zeal to be uppidy.

 

[Animesh K]

So you just piss off a smaller number of people...

If I use EM fonts, they can be scaled by the users. I cannot really make
2 em fonts for translations of archaic indological documents. Most
people will dislike the site then.

 

[dorayme]

Web developers get younger and younger...


Why not just press Control-Plus? Or Control-Minus to decrease, and
Control-0 (Zero) to return to your default.


..because those developers don't know how to properly define font size.

I was looking at http://alistapart.com/articles/keepingcurrent/
the other day and became gloomy thinking that there really is no
hope on this font-size battle. It is lost. Here is a serious
article on a respected website consciously using small fonts for
main body text. The deliberateness is announced in no uncertain
terms. First:

* {margin: 0; padding: 0;}

now that is pretty serious stuff.

Next the plan becomes quite clear:

body {font: 0.8125em Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 1; color:
#333; background: #FFF;}

I am getting so tired of upping text on so much. But if I up it
in prefs, I will be downing it for all the websites which are
made by authors who refuse to be drawn into this arms race.

 

[Nik Coughlin]

I was looking at http://alistapart.com/articles/keepingcurrent/
the other day and became gloomy thinking that there really is no
hope on this font-size battle. It is lost. Here is a serious
article on a respected website consciously using small fonts for
main body text. The deliberateness is announced in no uncertain
terms. First:

* {margin: 0; padding: 0;}

now that is pretty serious stuff.

???

I use that rule all the time. Gets rid of visual disparities between
browsers. Then I put padding and margins back in as required.

 

[dorayme]

???

I use that rule all the time. Gets rid of visual disparities between
browsers. Then I put padding and margins back in as required.

Yes, I know. Take my remark as a compliment to you! In what
immediately followed:

Next the plan becomes quite clear:

body {font: 0.8125em Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 1; color:
#333; background: #FFF;}

I meant simply that it was a very deliberate style sheet by
someone who shows competence and purpose. Newbies tend not to
clear the decks with "*".

Yet ... then see my obvious point about the choice of staarting
font-size.

 

[Chris F.A. Johnson]

Why should I have to? Doing it properly is no more work than
messing it up.

I was looking at http://alistapart.com/articles/keepingcurrent/
the other day and became gloomy thinking that there really is no
hope on this font-size battle. It is lost. Here is a serious
article on a respected website consciously using small fonts for
main body text. The deliberateness is announced in no uncertain
terms. First:

* {margin: 0; padding: 0;}

now that is pretty serious stuff.

It's a start. My style sheets (created by an emacs macro when I
start a new HTML page) begin with:

* {
margin: 0;
padding: 0;
border: 0;
}

Next the plan becomes quite clear:

body {font: 0.8125em Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 1; color:
#333; background: #FFF;}

The site, alistapart.com/, is one of many that say the right
things, but don't follow their own advice.

I am getting so tired of upping text on so much. But if I up it
in prefs, I will be downing it for all the websites which are
made by authors who refuse to be drawn into this arms race.

Set a minumum font size, then you don't need to keep changing it.

 

[dorayme]

On 2007-06-25, dorayme wrote:

Set a minumum font size, then you don't need to keep changing it.

I use browsers for website testing and want them to be as
"normal" as possible. In other words, there would be other things
to whinge about...

 

[Travis Newbury]

I am getting so tired of upping text on so much. But if I up it
in prefs, I will be downing it for all the websites which are
made by authors who refuse to be drawn into this arms race.

Man life blows sometimes...

 

[dorayme]

Man life blows sometimes...

You are truly all heart Travis and this now brings a little tear
to my eye...

 

[rf]

On 2007-06-25, dorayme wrote:

Set a minumum font size, then you don't need to keep changing it.

Point of order.

The browsers, well most of the modern ones anyway, allow us to set a minimum
font size.

None of them AFAIK allow us to set a *maximum* font size.

Think about this very slowly and carefully, keeping in mind the "sheep"
syndrome exhibited by the majority of web "authors" out there, as well as
their idiocy regarding proper GUI design:

What prompted the browser manufactures to provide us with an option to set
[only] the minimum font size?

 

[Travis Newbury]

You are truly all heart Travis and this now brings a little tear
to my eye...

It is good to see humor (albeit bad humor) is still appreciated...

 

[Bergamot]

I use browsers for website testing and want them to be as
"normal" as possible.

Unless you spend all your time testing web sites, you're only hurting
yourself this way. Set a minimum in your main browser, for normal
browsing. On those occasions where you actually need to see something in
its unaltered state, temporarily remove the minimum.

Leave other browsers at their default settings if you want, but do
change your main browser. Your everyday browsing will be *vastly*
improved for it.

In other words, there would be other things to whinge about...

Rest assured there will be plenty.

 

[dorayme]

It is good to see humor (albeit bad humor) is still appreciated...

I will try harder to be funnier and then you will appreciate and
laugh at the same time.

 

[dorayme]

Unless you spend all your time testing web sites, you're only hurting
yourself this way. Set a minimum in your main browser, for normal
browsing. On those occasions where you actually need to see something in
its unaltered state, temporarily remove the minimum.

Lately I have been rather working and testing and seem to have
little time for more "normal" browsing. I use as a first browser
for anything, on a Mac one can dive into prefs and do this. I
don't like the idea of the steps involved because I rather do a
lot of switching between reading stuff and examining websites.
But I will try it out on that and see what it is like. There may
even be other ways to switch at a click or key command. On FF I
notice, it is a direct menu item on the web developer bar. There
are likely Safari facilities too.

I think, the truth is lately I want to now what the author
(including me) has done re font sizes! So I am prepared to suffer
for the cause to some extent. I am a loyal soldier of this army.

 

[dorayme]

I use as a first browser

I use Safari as a ...

(Have not had a coffee yet...)

 

[Neredbojias]

Man life blows sometimes...

Especially if you're a whale...

 

[Neredbojias]

I will try harder to be funnier and then you will appreciate and
laugh at the same time.

Ahh, you don't have to try harder. Trust me.

 

[Travis Newbury]

I will try harder to be funnier and then you will appreciate and
laugh at the same time.

I wasn't talking about your humor...