5 ms·

I'm sure this is like tabs vs spaces for typographists, but why the hell do people make and use sans-serif fonts? Even ignoring aesthetics, the fact that there

by wyager 9y ago

I'm sure this is like tabs vs spaces for typographists, but why the hell do people make and use sans-serif fonts? Even ignoring aesthetics, the fact that there are horrendous ambiguities (like between I and l) renders these fonts completely inappropriate for computational tasks like copying passwords or secret keys. I have run into this problem multiple times on OS X and iOS, where the password managers use sans serif fonts.

philjohn 9y ago
Because in the days of lower resolution screens the commonly accepted (correct) view was that a serif font reduced readability. With retina/high DPI displays? Not so much.
kinkrtyavimoodh 9y ago
I don't want to obsess over the analogy but just want to point out that it's not a typical holy war in the tabs/spaces or vi/emacs sense because no one is claiming that only one of serifs or sans-serif is best. Most acknowledge the benefits of both.
ahhhhhhhhhh 9y ago
>the fact that there are horrendous ambiguities (like between I and l) renders these fonts completely inappropriate for computational tasks like copying passwords or secret keys Don't hate the player, hate the game.
nerdponx 9y ago
What? Would you rather HackerNews be rendered in a serif font?
rasmusfabbe 9y ago
This is valid commentary and subject to much discussion throughout the recent history of typography. There's always a blance condition between personality, legibility, character ambiguity, pace, and so on. Every typeface needs to go in some direction on these dimensions, which is why we have different font families for different uses! For instance, mono-spaced fonts with "slab" serifs are popular with computer code since column alignment (mono-spaced) and ambiguity (slab serifs and other visual traits like slashed zero) are used. However, for most people it's easier to read a variable-width font with regular serifs for longer text, like what you'd find in a book. Similarly, for user-interface labels, dialogs, buttons, etc it's often better to use a font without serifs and with a little more tracking/letter-spacing than what you'd use for large bodies of text (e.g. in a book.) Interface is designed for the latter use-case; user interfaces on computer screens.
fredsted 9y ago
But aren't passwords just copied? Why does the font matter?
- wyager 9y ago
  Common use case: reading wifi password to guests.
mark-r 9y ago
Serif fonts are harder to render on low DPI displays, such as nearly every Windows machine in existence. I really wish that high DPI displays would take over the world, but I know how difficult that will be. I'm even having trouble myself, I'm in the market for a new Chromebook and I found one with a very nice 235dpi display. I can get it for $400, but my wife is giving me grief because similar ones with a crappy display are available for $250.
harrygeez 9y ago
Because sans-serif fonts are more legible on digital screens especially low-res screens?

by wyager 9y ago

philjohn 9y ago

Because in the days of lower resolution screens the commonly accepted (correct) view was that a serif font reduced readability. With retina/high DPI displays? Not so much.

kinkrtyavimoodh 9y ago

I don't want to obsess over the analogy but just want to point out that it's not a typical holy war in the tabs/spaces or vi/emacs sense because no one is claiming that only one of serifs or sans-serif is best. Most acknowledge the benefits of both.

ahhhhhhhhhh 9y ago

>the fact that there are horrendous ambiguities (like between I and l) renders these fonts completely inappropriate for computational tasks like copying passwords or secret keys Don't hate the player, hate the game.

nerdponx 9y ago

What? Would you rather HackerNews be rendered in a serif font?

rasmusfabbe 9y ago

This is valid commentary and subject to much discussion throughout the recent history of typography. There's always a blance condition between personality, legibility, character ambiguity, pace, and so on. Every typeface needs to go in some direction on these dimensions, which is why we have different font families for different uses! For instance, mono-spaced fonts with "slab" serifs are popular with computer code since column alignment (mono-spaced) and ambiguity (slab serifs and other visual traits like slashed zero) are used. However, for most people it's easier to read a variable-width font with regular serifs for longer text, like what you'd find in a book. Similarly, for user-interface labels, dialogs, buttons, etc it's often better to use a font without serifs and with a little more tracking/letter-spacing than what you'd use for large bodies of text (e.g. in a book.) Interface is designed for the latter use-case; user interfaces on computer screens.

fredsted 9y ago

But aren't passwords just copied? Why does the font matter?

wyager 9y ago
Common use case: reading wifi password to guests.

mark-r 9y ago

Serif fonts are harder to render on low DPI displays, such as nearly every Windows machine in existence. I really wish that high DPI displays would take over the world, but I know how difficult that will be. I'm even having trouble myself, I'm in the market for a new Chromebook and I found one with a very nice 235dpi display. I can get it for $400, but my wife is giving me grief because similar ones with a crappy display are available for $250.

harrygeez 9y ago

Because sans-serif fonts are more legible on digital screens especially low-res screens?