[PD-dev] small font/display change

Hans-Christoph Steiner hans at eds.org
Wed Jun 15 02:35:27 CEST 2005


On Jun 13, 2005, at 6:00 AM, Frank Barknecht wrote:

> Hallo,
> Hans-Christoph Steiner hat gesagt: // Hans-Christoph Steiner wrote:
>
>> Did you look at a text file in Pd with this patch?  I guess I should
>> have been more clear about where it applies. The Times font only
>> applies to viewing text files in Pd, not to anything else.  You cannot
>> change the font size of a text file in Pd.  So I spec'ed Times 14 over
>> Courier 12.  The font is definitely big enough, and can easily be made
>> bigger if need be.  I think that Times works well there because it
>> clearly distinguishes the text files from the patches.  Try opening up
>> 2.control.examples/00.INTRO.txt for example.  Its a minor change.
>
> It's a big change, if you look at "5.reference/0.INTRO.txt" instead,
> because all alignment is wrecked there.

The formatting of other included .txt files is wrecked regardless of  
the font (check the About Pd... txt for example, at least on OSX).

> Anyway Times is not really good as a screen font because of its
> Serifs. It's better to use a Sans Serif font on screen (just take a
> look at any webpage: Nobody is using Serif fonts there except for the
> "Print Page" preview.)

I guess its no surprise that this site uses Times:

http://www.nytimes.com/

others:
http://harpers.org/
http://www.newyorker.com/

basically, sites oriented towards reading paragraphs, rather than  
application text, headlines, and blurbs.

> If there should be a proportional font in Pd, it should be a kind of
> Sans Serif font like Helvetica or Arial. (Or better yet one of the
> nice looking Bitstream fonts.)

The Times font is already used in Pd.  Its one of the three options.  I  
just thought it would be helpful to differentiate the txt files from  
patches in the simplest way possible: using the already included fonts.  
  The whole serif/sans debate just seems like a fad, some decades serifs  
are more readable, other decades sans.  That's a debate I want no part  
of.

Ultimately, the txt function is Pd is barely used, so if people hate  
Times, nobody has to use it.  I just put it out there, and I am done  
with the issue.

.hc

>
> Ciao
> --  
>  Frank Barknecht                               _ ______footils.org__
>
>           _ __latest track: "scans" _ http://footils.org/cms/show/41
>
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