7 ms·

You know, I just don't think a humanist sans with a lot of character is the right choice for an operating system.

by tern 13y ago

tcdent 13y ago
So stick with Windows and let the Free Software hippies have a little fun. :)
- msutherl 13y ago
  I'm not a huge fan of Windows, but I must say that the new Microsoft-designed fonts (Cambria, Calibri, Corbel, Consolas) strike a great balance between neutrality and character for an OS.
  - kps 13y ago
    I like Constantia, by John Hudson. It has become my go-to font for screen reading, since it manages an almost-oldstyle feel without falling apart at current resolutions. MS did commission some good work for the C-series.
  - drivebyacct2 13y ago
    Constantia and Consolas are works of art, but Calibri has become about as grating to me as Comic Sans, as hyperbolic as that sounds.
  - tux1968 13y ago
    Have to say that Consolas is the best monospaced font (that supports a large swath of Unicode) for my terminal emulator. I've always taken a rather dim view of non-functional niceties but have been swayed by just how damn nice the terminal looks while programming in Vim using Consolas. Well worth the purchase so that I could use it on Linux.
    - robin_reala 13y ago
      If you want a free clone then Inconsolata is pretty good (and open source, hence improvable): http://www.levien.com/type/myfonts/inconsolata.html http://www.levien.com/type/myfonts/inconsolata.html
      - miloshadzic 13y ago
        To my eye, only the name looks similar.
  - contingencies 13y ago
    My gnome-terminal seems to be using Source Code Pro from https://github.com/adobe/Source-Code-Pro https://github.com/adobe/Source-Code-Pro at Semibold weight and 12 points, though I basically just fullscreen it and frequently resize up and down depending on requirements. In reality I probably mostly I use it at 14 or 16 points, on a black background of course. compiz-fusion spins between desktop cube faces with ctrl+alt+arrow and a handy wacom tablet allow easy text selection, window placement and inkscape-driven thought-capture. I'm very interested in striking a balance between a minimalist console and graphical thinking, and have become a big fan of tools like mscgen, graphviz, and inkscape. Every time I use inkscape, default font selections irritate me to the point where I now generally the more tedious option of manually scribbling on the wacom tablet.
  - capnjngl 13y ago
    There's also Candara and Constantina. I think they did a bang up job with them, especially Cambria (If I never saw Times again I'd be happy).
  - alipang 13y ago
    Agreed. Unfortunately I can't say the same about Frutiger ripoff Segoe UI. I got tired so quickly of that font, and I barely even use Windows 8. You still see it all the time on other Microsoft branded stuff though, and all I can think is 'meh'. A neutral font like Helvetica is a much better choice IMO.
    - miloshadzic 13y ago
      Ironically they are both in the same neutral family. https://www.dropbox.com/s/peqvvtw50ko6kbv/Screenshot%202013-09-25%2015.45.04.png https://www.dropbox.com/s/peqvvtw50ko6kbv/Screenshot%202013-... That's probably also the reason why you think that it is meh.
      - kenbellows 13y ago
        I think his 'meh' was directed toward Segoe UI, not Frutiger.
        miloshadzic 13y ago
        Segoe UI is extremely similar to Frutiger Next, which is an expanded and slightly reworked Frutiger. That's what the whole fuss was about -- Microsoft not paying for a Frutiger Next license.
    - LeonidasXIV 13y ago
      Yes, I was shocked how bad it looks, considering Microsoft has some really good font designers.
lambda 13y ago
I wouldn't think that bubbly windows with cheesy drop shadows and gee-whiz transparency effects would be the right choice for an operating system, either. And yet look at the last decade's design trends there, too. Honestly, a somewhat playful humanist sans looks just fine in context, and a lot cleaner than many other trendy OS designs recently.
- msutherl 13y ago
  I have to agree with you on that. I was really looking forward to iOS 7 being a step forward in that regard, but it's as bubbly as anything else, and inconsistent to boot. At least Helvetica is nice and neutral. I think the word for all of this is kitsch.
deleted 13y ago
[deleted]
normloman 13y ago
Sure it is, so long as it's legible. Operating systems aren't just for getting work done. We spend our digital lives there. Why shouldn't they feel comfortable? Feel like home?

You know, I just don't think a humanist sans with a lot of character is the right choice for an operating system.

by tern 13y ago

You know, I just don't think a humanist sans with a lot of character is the right choice for an operating system.

tcdent 13y ago

So stick with Windows and let the Free Software hippies have a little fun. :)

msutherl 13y ago
I'm not a huge fan of Windows, but I must say that the new Microsoft-designed fonts (Cambria, Calibri, Corbel, Consolas) strike a great balance between neutrality and character for an OS.
- kps 13y ago
  I like Constantia, by John Hudson. It has become my go-to font for screen reading, since it manages an almost-oldstyle feel without falling apart at current resolutions. MS did commission some good work for the C-series.
- drivebyacct2 13y ago
  Constantia and Consolas are works of art, but Calibri has become about as grating to me as Comic Sans, as hyperbolic as that sounds.
- tux1968 13y ago
  Have to say that Consolas is the best monospaced font (that supports a large swath of Unicode) for my terminal emulator. I've always taken a rather dim view of non-functional niceties but have been swayed by just how damn nice the terminal looks while programming in Vim using Consolas. Well worth the purchase so that I could use it on Linux.
  - robin_reala 13y ago
    If you want a free clone then Inconsolata is pretty good (and open source, hence improvable): http://www.levien.com/type/myfonts/inconsolata.html http://www.levien.com/type/myfonts/inconsolata.html
    - miloshadzic 13y ago
      To my eye, only the name looks similar.
- contingencies 13y ago
  My gnome-terminal seems to be using Source Code Pro from https://github.com/adobe/Source-Code-Pro https://github.com/adobe/Source-Code-Pro at Semibold weight and 12 points, though I basically just fullscreen it and frequently resize up and down depending on requirements. In reality I probably mostly I use it at 14 or 16 points, on a black background of course. compiz-fusion spins between desktop cube faces with ctrl+alt+arrow and a handy wacom tablet allow easy text selection, window placement and inkscape-driven thought-capture. I'm very interested in striking a balance between a minimalist console and graphical thinking, and have become a big fan of tools like mscgen, graphviz, and inkscape. Every time I use inkscape, default font selections irritate me to the point where I now generally the more tedious option of manually scribbling on the wacom tablet.
- capnjngl 13y ago
  There's also Candara and Constantina. I think they did a bang up job with them, especially Cambria (If I never saw Times again I'd be happy).
- alipang 13y ago
  Agreed. Unfortunately I can't say the same about Frutiger ripoff Segoe UI. I got tired so quickly of that font, and I barely even use Windows 8. You still see it all the time on other Microsoft branded stuff though, and all I can think is 'meh'. A neutral font like Helvetica is a much better choice IMO.
  - miloshadzic 13y ago
    Ironically they are both in the same neutral family. https://www.dropbox.com/s/peqvvtw50ko6kbv/Screenshot%202013-09-25%2015.45.04.png https://www.dropbox.com/s/peqvvtw50ko6kbv/Screenshot%202013-... That's probably also the reason why you think that it is meh.
    - kenbellows 13y ago
      I think his 'meh' was directed toward Segoe UI, not Frutiger.
      - miloshadzic 13y ago
        Segoe UI is extremely similar to Frutiger Next, which is an expanded and slightly reworked Frutiger. That's what the whole fuss was about -- Microsoft not paying for a Frutiger Next license.
  - LeonidasXIV 13y ago
    Yes, I was shocked how bad it looks, considering Microsoft has some really good font designers.

lambda 13y ago

I wouldn't think that bubbly windows with cheesy drop shadows and gee-whiz transparency effects would be the right choice for an operating system, either. And yet look at the last decade's design trends there, too. Honestly, a somewhat playful humanist sans looks just fine in context, and a lot cleaner than many other trendy OS designs recently.

msutherl 13y ago
I have to agree with you on that. I was really looking forward to iOS 7 being a step forward in that regard, but it's as bubbly as anything else, and inconsistent to boot. At least Helvetica is nice and neutral. I think the word for all of this is kitsch.

deleted 13y ago

[deleted]

normloman 13y ago

Sure it is, so long as it's legible. Operating systems aren't just for getting work done. We spend our digital lives there. Why shouldn't they feel comfortable? Feel like home?