I think the whole problem with different monitors is solvable by using the native DPI instead of hard-coding 96 and then using a sane font size which would then be the same in size across all monitors (in physical millimeters, as opposed to physical dots on screen). I think 8 pt at native DPI is a sane default, whereas 10 pt at 96 DPI fits only a limited number of computer screens. As far as I understand, the problem with DPI is well-known and rather ancient. The bug at Launchpad [1] dates back to October 2007. Moreover, the bug seems to be Ubuntu-specific, as GNOME's Bugzilla [2] lists it as "RESOLVED -- FIXED", while in Ubuntu it is only "Confirmed". LoonyPhoenix Notes: [1] <a href="https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/gnome-control-center/+bug/157398">https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/gnome-control-center/+bug/157398</a> [2] <a href="https://bugzilla.gnome.org/show_bug.cgi?id=378338">https://bugzilla.gnome.org/show_bug.cgi?id=378338</a> <div class="gmail_quote">2009/10/11 Remco <<a href="mailto:remco47@gmail.com">remco47@gmail.com</a>> <blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;"> <div class="im">On Sat, Oct 10, 2009 at 22:01, Conn <<a href="mailto:subpsyke@eircom.net">subpsyke@eircom.net</a>> wrote: > On Sat, Oct 10, 2009 at 1:15 PM, Felix Miata <<a href="mailto:mrmazda@earthlink.net">mrmazda@earthlink.net</a>> wrote: </div><div class="im">>> Ditto. If those are in fact 9pt and not 8pt something is unusual on your >> comparison XP. Windows UI fonts have usually been ridiculously small >> (8pt), >> but I have encountered the use of 9pt in W2K & WXP when "large" has not >> been >> selected in settings. The browser and office app document fonts have >> always >> been 12pt by default. The difference in size is a function of area, not >> nominal size, meaning that 12pt is 2.25 times the size of 8pt (12^2 / 8^2) >> and 1.78 times the size of 9pt (12^2 / 9^2). > > I dual-boot between XP and Ubuntu, and use a bookmark synchronization > extension for Firefox. Looking at my Firefox bookmarks toolbar (which is > identical in layout between operating systems), Windows XP can fit about 10 > bookmarks on-screen, whereas Ubuntu can fit only 7, or at most 8 with a > short title. The entire interface of Ubuntu looks unnecessarily bloated. > > As I posted in my previous comment, my screen should use 91dpi rendering. I > have manually set this value, and while fonts looks slightly more compact > compared to the default setting, /in my opinion/, 10pt is still too bloated. </div>In my opinion, even a 9pt application font is still too bloated. I have the following output from xdpyinfo: dimensions: 1920x1200 pixels (372x230 millimeters) resolution: 131x133 dots per inch On this setup, with the correct DPI set, 10pt looks *huge*. 9pt is still too much for my tastes. 8pt feels very natural. Screenshots: 10pt: <a href="http://www.few.vu.nl/%7Erkg230/files/Screenshot10pt.png" target="_blank">http://www.few.vu.nl/~rkg230/files/Screenshot10pt.png</a> 9pt: <a href="http://www.few.vu.nl/%7Erkg230/files/Screenshot9pt.png" target="_blank">http://www.few.vu.nl/~rkg230/files/Screenshot9pt.png</a> 8pt: <a href="http://www.few.vu.nl/%7Erkg230/files/Screenshot8pt.png" target="_blank">http://www.few.vu.nl/~rkg230/files/Screenshot8pt.png</a> Also, you can see in the 10pt and 9pt screenshots that the text of the CPU monitor on the top panel doesn't fit inside the applet anymore. -- Remco <div><div></div><div class="h5"> -- Ubuntu-devel-discuss mailing list <a href="mailto:Ubuntu-devel-discuss@lists.ubuntu.com">Ubuntu-devel-discuss@lists.ubuntu.com</a> Modify settings or unsubscribe at: <a href="https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-devel-discuss" target="_blank">https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-devel-discuss</a> </div></div></blockquote></div>