Default font size in gnome

[Ryan Hayle]

On 26/02/09 14:31, Felix Miata wrote:
> On the contrary, preference is about the difference between acceptable and
> unacceptable.
>    

There are two separate issues here.  You seem to be arguing that the OLD 
size is too small, and want it to be larger.  Fair enough--but that is a 
separate issue.  What I am arguing for, is consistency with previous 
versions now that the DPI is set correctly.  I am not a usability 
expert--maybe you're right and the default should be larger, but that is 
a separate issue.

> Intended by whom, mousetype lovers? My point was those who find it
> inappropriately large can easily manage to fix it. Those who find
> inappropriately small have to somehow manage to overcome a legibility
> obstacle to fix it - a chicken/egg situation.
>    

Intended by whomever set the default in previous Ubuntu 
releases.Real-world DPI has been steadily increasing from release to 
release. What may

> have been intended two years ago, when due to DPI fixed at 96 resulted in
> arbitrary sizes, can't necessarily be related to a "correct" size now that
> DPI is no longer arbitrary.
>    

Yes, and DPI will continue to increase.  This should result in sharper 
fonts, NOT larger or smaller fonts.  That's the whole point of this 
effort.  We need a sensible default which looks good "out of the box" on 
the majority of systems.

> The larger of those was here preferable to the smaller, even on my 
> lowest DPI
> system.
>
> The "oldest of low-resolution screens" still in use is probably 800x600 13"
> visible/14" advertised CRT - about 77 DPI. Lowest resolution desktop display
> in stores today is probably 20" 1440x900 - about 85 DPI. That's only about
> 10% DPI difference.
>
> "Ugly" is in the eye of the beholder. To some, the definition of ugly is the
> functional equivalent of too small, just as well as others to whom it equates
> to too large.
>
> In any event, and regardless what nominal size is ultimately released as the
> default, it's still much easier to for a user to fix too large than it is to
> fix too small, which is the entire point of my original thread reply.
>    

I believe a sensible default needs to appeal to the majority of users, 
not cater to the visually impaired.  I support accessibility 100%, but 
the majority of users with good eyesight should not have to decrease 
their fonts in order to accommodate those who need extremely large fonts 
to see.  You're absolutely right that it's an easy change, however the 
1st impression people get of Ubuntu (and all the screenshots which will 
be posted to the web) is extremely important.  And sadly, defaults are 
more about marketing than usability.  I think we all agree that we want 
the system to be as usable and customisable as possible.

Like I said before, perhaps we need a script to set the default font 
depending on the DPI and screen size.

FYI--It seems to me like there might possibly be another issue here.  At 
high DPI, it seems as if the font rendering engine makes larger fonts 
(by that I mean 10pt) appear more "bold" than they should (in my 
opinion).  Is this the intended behaviour?  I really know nothing about 
this or typography in general, I just wanted to raise the idea.  I often 
choose smaller fonts simply to get rid of this "bold" look, which is 
evident in this screenshot:

http://launchpadlibrarian.net/23152448/10pt.jpg

Ryan