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I agree that MacOS fonts look nice, and also that Linux can look really bad if not configured properly. But that has been less an issue with modern GUI oriented

by kuon 6y ago

I agree that MacOS fonts look nice, and also that Linux can look really bad if not configured properly. But that has been less an issue with modern GUI oriented distributions which configure fonts quite well out of the box. It is still very cool to be able to tune fonts that precisely on Linux, and it's a major feature. Also, on many linux distribution you can modify your font configuration per user, here ~/.config/fontconfig/fonts.conf (path may vary).

secondcoming 6y ago
I find Linux's font handling weird. I use consolas for programming and on the same system it can look different in different editors. And then it never really looks the same as it does on Windows despite being the same TTF. I don't really have the patience to faff about with font config files, it should 'just work'.
- Drew_ 6y ago
  3rd party applications/editors can render fonts however they'd like. VS Code's font rendering is almost certainly not native and I don't think Chrome's font rendering is either.
  - damieng 6y ago
    Chrome uses Skia which - on Windows - uses DirectWrite which is basically native however... DirectWrite has a whole bunch of flags that configure sub-pixel and anti-aliasing as well as natural widths etc. So it might not look the same. To make matters worse it changes what settings it uses depending on the size of the type IIRC and even had a few font-specific tweaks there as well. Windows apps in general might not look the same depending on whether they are using GDI, GDI+, DirectWrite (all considered native) and any combination of those flags... and of course it depends on whether the user has ClearType turned on and if they have used the Tuner to calibrate the rendering further for their preference...
YorickPeterse 6y ago
I've found it's not so much the distribution, but the desktop environment, combined with an HiDPI display. I think I haven't had the need for any special changes in years, other than maybe changing the hinting style based on personal preference.
II2II 6y ago
> It is still very cool to be able to tune fonts that precisely on Linux, and it's a major feature. Agreed. While much of the discussion surrounds making font rendering more Mac-like, fontconfig enables people to modify font rendering to suit their personal needs. For example: one user can turn off anti-aliasing to enjoy sharper fonts, while another turn it on to enjoy more accurate font rendering. Heck, you can even tweak things down to the font and application level without relying upon each program exposing that functionality. This is not the sort of feature that will appeal to many people, but it is incredibly useful for those who use it.

by kuon 6y ago

secondcoming 6y ago

I find Linux's font handling weird. I use consolas for programming and on the same system it can look different in different editors. And then it never really looks the same as it does on Windows despite being the same TTF. I don't really have the patience to faff about with font config files, it should 'just work'.

Drew_ 6y ago
3rd party applications/editors can render fonts however they'd like. VS Code's font rendering is almost certainly not native and I don't think Chrome's font rendering is either.
- damieng 6y ago
  Chrome uses Skia which - on Windows - uses DirectWrite which is basically native however... DirectWrite has a whole bunch of flags that configure sub-pixel and anti-aliasing as well as natural widths etc. So it might not look the same. To make matters worse it changes what settings it uses depending on the size of the type IIRC and even had a few font-specific tweaks there as well. Windows apps in general might not look the same depending on whether they are using GDI, GDI+, DirectWrite (all considered native) and any combination of those flags... and of course it depends on whether the user has ClearType turned on and if they have used the Tuner to calibrate the rendering further for their preference...

YorickPeterse 6y ago

I've found it's not so much the distribution, but the desktop environment, combined with an HiDPI display. I think I haven't had the need for any special changes in years, other than maybe changing the hinting style based on personal preference.

II2II 6y ago

> It is still very cool to be able to tune fonts that precisely on Linux, and it's a major feature. Agreed. While much of the discussion surrounds making font rendering more Mac-like, fontconfig enables people to modify font rendering to suit their personal needs. For example: one user can turn off anti-aliasing to enjoy sharper fonts, while another turn it on to enjoy more accurate font rendering. Heck, you can even tweak things down to the font and application level without relying upon each program exposing that functionality. This is not the sort of feature that will appeal to many people, but it is incredibly useful for those who use it.