6 ms·

Here's a good comparison (and vote) of programming fonts: http://www.slant.co/topics/67/~what-are-the-best-programming-fonts http://www.slant.co/topics/67/~wha

by 8ig8 13y ago

Here's a good comparison (and vote) of programming fonts: http://www.slant.co/topics/67/~what-are-the-best-programming-fonts http://www.slant.co/topics/67/~what-are-the-best-programming... Most popular: Source Code Pro http://blogs.adobe.com/typblography/2012/09/source-code-pro.html http://blogs.adobe.com/typblography/2012/09/source-code-pro.... Monaco, my favorite, comes at #3.

dazmax 13y ago
Argh, why does no one include a tilde in the sample? A raised tilde ruins a font for me because of the ruby match operator: =~
- contingencies 13y ago
  Can a vim nerd respond with how to display-time-remap a normal tilde to another unicode codepoint? There are at least four tilde-like glyphs that may be cast by any middling magician of the Unicode elements: ~⁓〜˜
  - RobSis 13y ago
    Looking at src/screen.c, the tilda character is hardcoded. So you'd need to patch it.
    - contingencies 13y ago
      Perhaps a terminal application could do it then.
- ars 13y ago
  It's very easy to edit a font. So if the font is perfect except for the ~, just edit it and change that.
- knowaveragejoe 13y ago
  There is a tilde in the full sample: http://www.marksimonson.com/assets/content/fonts/AnonymousProSpecimen.pdf http://www.marksimonson.com/assets/content/fonts/AnonymousPr...
sliverstorm 13y ago
I take this as confirmation of my choice- Consolas. 2nd favorite by a close margin, and it's usually already installed!
- hannibal5 13y ago
  I use Linux and install always Consolas. Programmers designing fonts is cute but it's not good idea. Lucas de Groot knew what he was doing.
  - baldfat 13y ago
    I like Inconsolas for Linux instead of Consolas.
  - yogo 13y ago
    +1 for consolas on Linux.
- Samuel_Michon 13y ago
  > it's usually already installed Only on Windows Vista/7/8.
  - sliverstorm 13y ago
    You still use Windows ME?
    - Samuel_Michon 13y ago
      I pointed it out because many people use Windows XP, OS X, Android, or iOS. All those OSes (as well as UNIX clones and variants) don’t come with the font pre-installed.
      - porso9 13y ago
        But he/she said usually, not always. And yeah, a ton of people use windows 7/8 so he/she can say that.
b3b0p 13y ago
I like Source Code Pro, but it lacks italics. That's really the only downside to me. I love Monaco also, but only unaliased at about 10pt. Otherwise, I use Menlo or DejaVu Sans Mono usually. I've known about Anonymous Pro, but have not given it much usage yet to decide if I like it more than others.
- buro9 13y ago
  Strange, I'm seeing italics in Sublime Text 3 for Source Code Pro. You're right that the font seems to lack italics, anyone know whether this is just Sublime faking it?
  - icebraining 13y ago
    I think the font rendering engines (e.g. FreeType) can do fake italics by slating the characters.
  - b3b0p 13y ago
    Yes, as you stated it's basically Sublime slanting the characters. Here is the ticket on Github: https://github.com/adobe/source-code-pro/issues/6 https://github.com/adobe/source-code-pro/issues/6
- doktorn 13y ago
  What would you use italics for in programming? I've never used italics, maybe I'm missing something.
  - bluedino 13y ago
    Comments.
  - b3b0p 13y ago
    It will depend on the syntax rules for the editor.
platz 13y ago
Monaco is my favorite as well. Actually I think it's slightly less readable then bitstream vera or consolas, but Monaco has some kind of angular personality to it that makes more emotionally satisfying to read and program in, than the others
vanderZwan 13y ago
I was wondering why the MonoFur example was in italics, then I tried it out in Sublime - for some reason it uses the Italic version as if it is the regular version, and I haven't found a way of fixing that. Does anyone have any suggestions?
- stayradiated 13y ago
  You could try uninstalling the italic version of the font.
  - vanderZwan 13y ago
    ... obvious solution with hindsight. Still, I wonder if the bug is with Sublime or the font (since other fonts don't seem to have this problem).
Demiurge 13y ago
What I really like about Source Code Pro is that it has a 'Light' version, which looks absolutely perfect on OSX with its fatty font rendering. Before this, I used to always have t acclimate between Ubuntu and OSX and Windows, but not anymore!
- e_proxus 13y ago
  Thanks for that tip. It really makes a difference in readability.
- bluedino 13y ago
  One thing I do when using Source Code Pro is shorten up the line spacing a bit. There's a slider to do it in iTerm2, and you can use these options in Sublime Text: >> "linePaddingTop": 8, >> "linePaddingBottom": 8 By default that family of fonts almost seems double-spaced to me, otherwise I really like them.
- moystard 13y ago
  It is surprisingly hard to obtain a consistent font rendering across OSX, Windows and Linux. I had to play with the weight of the fonts, but also the font size (on Windows, my font is 3pt smaller than on OSX...). Irritating, especially when you actually synchronize your configuration files.
  - Demiurge 13y ago
    I agree, and the main irritant has to be OSX and its refusal to do any hinting or 'sharpening' at lower point sizes. I hoped the retina will make it better, but amazingly, it doesn't quite enough, fonts still look too fat and rounded on the edges!
vinhnx 13y ago
My favorite is Inconsolata-g, looks sharp for programming http://www.slant.co/topics/67/viewpoints/6/~what-are-the-best-programming-fonts~inconsolata-g http://www.slant.co/topics/67/viewpoints/6/~what-are-the-bes...
- deleted 13y ago
  [deleted]
forrestthewoods 13y ago
Neat. I'd love to see a site that separates by platform. The different font rendering of OS X and Windows is significant and I tend to pick different fonts for them.
brokenparser 13y ago
Thanks! I switched to Liberation Mono, it's almost as legible as Droid Sans Mono but differentiates the 0 and O. The link to Proggy Clean redirects to Groupon, it can be downloaded here instead: http://www.dafont.com/proggy-clean.font http://www.dafont.com/proggy-clean.font
- doktorn 13y ago
  +1 for Proggy Clean. I have used it for many years now.
Tloewald 13y ago
Monaco -- not my favorite but up there -- is remarkably good especially given it was a first generation Truetype redo of a bitmap font.
brianpgordon 13y ago
I'm afraid that the reason the best programming font in the world - Terminus - isn't in the top 5 is because of the terrible screenshot. :(
pippy 13y ago
I've tried other fonts, nothing compares to Source Code Pro. You never really notice how much a decent font impacts how you read until you replace it with something else.

by 8ig8 13y ago

dazmax 13y ago

Argh, why does no one include a tilde in the sample? A raised tilde ruins a font for me because of the ruby match operator: =~

contingencies 13y ago
Can a vim nerd respond with how to display-time-remap a normal tilde to another unicode codepoint? There are at least four tilde-like glyphs that may be cast by any middling magician of the Unicode elements: ~⁓〜˜
- RobSis 13y ago
  Looking at src/screen.c, the tilda character is hardcoded. So you'd need to patch it.
  - contingencies 13y ago
    Perhaps a terminal application could do it then.
ars 13y ago
It's very easy to edit a font. So if the font is perfect except for the ~, just edit it and change that.
knowaveragejoe 13y ago
There is a tilde in the full sample: http://www.marksimonson.com/assets/content/fonts/AnonymousProSpecimen.pdf http://www.marksimonson.com/assets/content/fonts/AnonymousPr...

sliverstorm 13y ago

I take this as confirmation of my choice- Consolas. 2nd favorite by a close margin, and it's usually already installed!

hannibal5 13y ago
I use Linux and install always Consolas. Programmers designing fonts is cute but it's not good idea. Lucas de Groot knew what he was doing.
- baldfat 13y ago
  I like Inconsolas for Linux instead of Consolas.
- yogo 13y ago
  +1 for consolas on Linux.
Samuel_Michon 13y ago
> it's usually already installed Only on Windows Vista/7/8.
- sliverstorm 13y ago
  You still use Windows ME?
  - Samuel_Michon 13y ago
    I pointed it out because many people use Windows XP, OS X, Android, or iOS. All those OSes (as well as UNIX clones and variants) don’t come with the font pre-installed.
    - porso9 13y ago
      But he/she said usually, not always. And yeah, a ton of people use windows 7/8 so he/she can say that.

b3b0p 13y ago

I like Source Code Pro, but it lacks italics. That's really the only downside to me. I love Monaco also, but only unaliased at about 10pt. Otherwise, I use Menlo or DejaVu Sans Mono usually. I've known about Anonymous Pro, but have not given it much usage yet to decide if I like it more than others.

buro9 13y ago
Strange, I'm seeing italics in Sublime Text 3 for Source Code Pro. You're right that the font seems to lack italics, anyone know whether this is just Sublime faking it?
- icebraining 13y ago
  I think the font rendering engines (e.g. FreeType) can do fake italics by slating the characters.
- b3b0p 13y ago
  Yes, as you stated it's basically Sublime slanting the characters. Here is the ticket on Github: https://github.com/adobe/source-code-pro/issues/6 https://github.com/adobe/source-code-pro/issues/6
doktorn 13y ago
What would you use italics for in programming? I've never used italics, maybe I'm missing something.
- bluedino 13y ago
  Comments.
- b3b0p 13y ago
  It will depend on the syntax rules for the editor.

platz 13y ago

Monaco is my favorite as well. Actually I think it's slightly less readable then bitstream vera or consolas, but Monaco has some kind of angular personality to it that makes more emotionally satisfying to read and program in, than the others

vanderZwan 13y ago

I was wondering why the MonoFur example was in italics, then I tried it out in Sublime - for some reason it uses the Italic version as if it is the regular version, and I haven't found a way of fixing that. Does anyone have any suggestions?

stayradiated 13y ago
You could try uninstalling the italic version of the font.
- vanderZwan 13y ago
  ... obvious solution with hindsight. Still, I wonder if the bug is with Sublime or the font (since other fonts don't seem to have this problem).

Demiurge 13y ago

What I really like about Source Code Pro is that it has a 'Light' version, which looks absolutely perfect on OSX with its fatty font rendering. Before this, I used to always have t acclimate between Ubuntu and OSX and Windows, but not anymore!

e_proxus 13y ago
Thanks for that tip. It really makes a difference in readability.
bluedino 13y ago
One thing I do when using Source Code Pro is shorten up the line spacing a bit. There's a slider to do it in iTerm2, and you can use these options in Sublime Text: >> "linePaddingTop": 8, >> "linePaddingBottom": 8 By default that family of fonts almost seems double-spaced to me, otherwise I really like them.
moystard 13y ago
It is surprisingly hard to obtain a consistent font rendering across OSX, Windows and Linux. I had to play with the weight of the fonts, but also the font size (on Windows, my font is 3pt smaller than on OSX...). Irritating, especially when you actually synchronize your configuration files.
- Demiurge 13y ago
  I agree, and the main irritant has to be OSX and its refusal to do any hinting or 'sharpening' at lower point sizes. I hoped the retina will make it better, but amazingly, it doesn't quite enough, fonts still look too fat and rounded on the edges!

vinhnx 13y ago

My favorite is Inconsolata-g, looks sharp for programming http://www.slant.co/topics/67/viewpoints/6/~what-are-the-best-programming-fonts~inconsolata-g http://www.slant.co/topics/67/viewpoints/6/~what-are-the-bes...

deleted 13y ago
[deleted]

forrestthewoods 13y ago

Neat. I'd love to see a site that separates by platform. The different font rendering of OS X and Windows is significant and I tend to pick different fonts for them.

brokenparser 13y ago

Thanks! I switched to Liberation Mono, it's almost as legible as Droid Sans Mono but differentiates the 0 and O. The link to Proggy Clean redirects to Groupon, it can be downloaded here instead: http://www.dafont.com/proggy-clean.font http://www.dafont.com/proggy-clean.font

doktorn 13y ago
+1 for Proggy Clean. I have used it for many years now.

Tloewald 13y ago

Monaco -- not my favorite but up there -- is remarkably good especially given it was a first generation Truetype redo of a bitmap font.

brianpgordon 13y ago

I'm afraid that the reason the best programming font in the world - Terminus - isn't in the top 5 is because of the terrible screenshot. :(

pippy 13y ago

I've tried other fonts, nothing compares to Source Code Pro. You never really notice how much a decent font impacts how you read until you replace it with something else.