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Devoting more than a couple of minutes to choosing an IDE font seems like the height of bikeshedding to me. Using cursive in your IDE just seems completely beyo

Devoting more than a couple of minutes to choosing an IDE font seems like the height of bikeshedding to me. Using cursive in your IDE just seems completely beyond reason... I have no idea at all why this is becoming so trendy. Do people have so few problems to work on that this has become a reasonable use of their time?

macintux 7y ago
As pointed out several times on a recent discussion, including responses to this question, programmers spend a lot of time staring at text. It’s not unreasonable to want to find a good typeface. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21303707 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21303707 “I don’t see the reason” is rarely a good rationale for blaming those who do for being wastrels.
- AmericanChopper 7y ago
  I’m not blaming anybody for anything, and I understand that some people enjoy endlessly tinkering with their setups. What I don’t understand is why this particular topic has become so popular recently (I’ve seen so many posts about it) for two reasons. 1) The difference between the best (according to your own taste) font your IDE offers off the shelf, and the best font you can find anywhere in existence seems marginal to me. 2) Optimising for readability and then introducing cursive to your IDE seems like two diometrically opposed ideas to me. I’m not trying to be a Luddite or a hipster. Do what makes you happy. I just don’t get this trend and can’t help but think it’s a waste of time, especially if productivity is one of the supposed goals of this.
  - deleted 7y ago
    [deleted]
  - Semiapies 7y ago
    I suspect you've devoted more effort to these posts than most people here have to picking fonts.
    - AmericanChopper 7y ago
      Perhaps expressing a view that something is a waste of time is naturally a waste of time itself. That could be an interesting philosophical position to take, but I don’t think it contributes much to the discussion in this case. Perhaps I’m discussing the merits of the topic at hand to satisfy my own intellectual curiosity.
      - macintux 7y ago
        Interspersing aspersions against those who have different priorities is rarely a good way to “discuss the merits” of the topic at hand. “Do people have so few problems to work on that this has become a reasonable use of their time?” “completely beyond reason” I don’t care a great deal about the topic, but it offends me when people with a passion for technical materials are disparaged for their interest.
        AmericanChopper 7y ago
        I haven’t made a single ad hominem here. The opinions I expressed were directed exclusively at the topic being discussed.
        macintux 7y ago
        Ad hominem, no. Disparaging the interest, yes. It’s possible to explore a topic without the disparagement but you keep reverting to the “waste of time” theme, which doesn’t indicate an interest in learning or persuasion.
        AmericanChopper 7y ago
        Ideas should be protected from criticism to avoid disparagement?...
        macintux 7y ago
        No, but a discussion the merits of fonts they find interesting is not enriched by a troll who hides behind the fig leaf of “discussing the merits of the topic at hand to satisfy my own intellectual curiosity”. You’re free to do as you wish, but HN discourages your hobby, and thus the downvotes. I just regret the time I’ve spent feeding it.
nine_k 7y ago
Spending some resources on making comfortable the thing you spend all day watching may pay off. A bad font breaks my concentration; a less legible font increases the chance of silly typos, etc. Try working while sitting on a random piece of furniture, while using a keyboard from Sinclair Spectrum put on a random coffee table. Chances are your productivity will slightly decrease. Same applies to every tool you use daily. Even a small difference in quality may play a major role.
topologistics 7y ago
I don't know how much customizing my desktop environment is bikeshedding, I just like for things to look nice. Take some time to appreciate the aesthetic value in the little things, you will get more out of life.
- AmericanChopper 7y ago
  It’s the amount of effort I see going into optimising for the best font I consider bikeshedding. It’s something you could devote unlimited time to for an unlimited amount of margin improvements. > Take some time to appreciate the aesthetic value in the little things, you will get more out of life. That’s a perfectly valid world view. A different and equally valid world view could be to not worry about small problems, and focus on things that give you the most satisfaction in life. I personally don’t care much about how my IDE looks, because writing (what I consider to be) good code is the bit I find most satisfying.
dickeytk 7y ago
Your argument is it’s not worth spending time on? What would you rather I be doing?

macintux 7y ago

As pointed out several times on a recent discussion, including responses to this question, programmers spend a lot of time staring at text. It’s not unreasonable to want to find a good typeface. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21303707 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21303707 “I don’t see the reason” is rarely a good rationale for blaming those who do for being wastrels.

AmericanChopper 7y ago
I’m not blaming anybody for anything, and I understand that some people enjoy endlessly tinkering with their setups. What I don’t understand is why this particular topic has become so popular recently (I’ve seen so many posts about it) for two reasons. 1) The difference between the best (according to your own taste) font your IDE offers off the shelf, and the best font you can find anywhere in existence seems marginal to me. 2) Optimising for readability and then introducing cursive to your IDE seems like two diometrically opposed ideas to me. I’m not trying to be a Luddite or a hipster. Do what makes you happy. I just don’t get this trend and can’t help but think it’s a waste of time, especially if productivity is one of the supposed goals of this.
- deleted 7y ago
  [deleted]
- Semiapies 7y ago
  I suspect you've devoted more effort to these posts than most people here have to picking fonts.
  - AmericanChopper 7y ago
    Perhaps expressing a view that something is a waste of time is naturally a waste of time itself. That could be an interesting philosophical position to take, but I don’t think it contributes much to the discussion in this case. Perhaps I’m discussing the merits of the topic at hand to satisfy my own intellectual curiosity.
    - macintux 7y ago
      Interspersing aspersions against those who have different priorities is rarely a good way to “discuss the merits” of the topic at hand. “Do people have so few problems to work on that this has become a reasonable use of their time?” “completely beyond reason” I don’t care a great deal about the topic, but it offends me when people with a passion for technical materials are disparaged for their interest.
      - AmericanChopper 7y ago
        I haven’t made a single ad hominem here. The opinions I expressed were directed exclusively at the topic being discussed.
        macintux 7y ago
        Ad hominem, no. Disparaging the interest, yes. It’s possible to explore a topic without the disparagement but you keep reverting to the “waste of time” theme, which doesn’t indicate an interest in learning or persuasion.
        AmericanChopper 7y ago
        Ideas should be protected from criticism to avoid disparagement?...
        macintux 7y ago
        No, but a discussion the merits of fonts they find interesting is not enriched by a troll who hides behind the fig leaf of “discussing the merits of the topic at hand to satisfy my own intellectual curiosity”. You’re free to do as you wish, but HN discourages your hobby, and thus the downvotes. I just regret the time I’ve spent feeding it.

nine_k 7y ago

Spending some resources on making comfortable the thing you spend all day watching may pay off. A bad font breaks my concentration; a less legible font increases the chance of silly typos, etc. Try working while sitting on a random piece of furniture, while using a keyboard from Sinclair Spectrum put on a random coffee table. Chances are your productivity will slightly decrease. Same applies to every tool you use daily. Even a small difference in quality may play a major role.

topologistics 7y ago

I don't know how much customizing my desktop environment is bikeshedding, I just like for things to look nice. Take some time to appreciate the aesthetic value in the little things, you will get more out of life.

AmericanChopper 7y ago
It’s the amount of effort I see going into optimising for the best font I consider bikeshedding. It’s something you could devote unlimited time to for an unlimited amount of margin improvements. > Take some time to appreciate the aesthetic value in the little things, you will get more out of life. That’s a perfectly valid world view. A different and equally valid world view could be to not worry about small problems, and focus on things that give you the most satisfaction in life. I personally don’t care much about how my IDE looks, because writing (what I consider to be) good code is the bit I find most satisfying.

dickeytk 7y ago

Your argument is it’s not worth spending time on? What would you rather I be doing?