Well, I prefer TeX to LaTeX because (1) with TeX the documentation is just Knuth's 'The TeXBook' but with LaTeX the documentation is in at least two thick books

Well, I prefer TeX to LaTeX because (1) with TeX the documentation is just Knuth's 'The TeXBook' but with LaTeX the documentation is in at least two thick books each with several authors none of whom is Knuth, (2) TeX is rock solidly frozen but LaTeX is not, and (3) LaTeX makes assumptions about what is wanted and, then, is easier to use within the assumptions and more difficult otherwise. I have over 100 macros I wrote for TeX for tables of contents, cross referencing, verbatim output, putting TeX text on figures as annotation, automatic chapter, section, figure, and table numbering, putting a frame around foil pages, etc.; those macros go back over ten years; due to the fact that TeX is frozen they still run just fine. But for both TeX and LaTeX, I'm looking for darker fonts, especially for the TeX and AMS math fonts. Any ideas? For the emphasis on plain text in the article, sure: I do nearly all my typing just into my favorite general purpose text editor KEdit.