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Hack: A typeface designed for source code

sourcefoundry.org

31–40 of 249 posts

Re: Hack: A typeface designed for source code

#31

Comparison with Fira Mono at 12px: http://screenshotcomparison.com/comparison/140470 I'll stick with Fira.

The 'f' is really ugly, and the * not being centered is a shame (it's used so much in source code for ⨉, it really should be vertically centered), but the reduced number of serifs is nice. I also like how === has less spacing between the lines, which fits common source code conventions which use = for underlines and horizontal rules.

Re: Hack: A typeface designed for source code

#33
post #13

I desperately want to find a new code font to love but I always return to Consolas.

For a complete change of style it might be worth having a look at fonts designed assisting those with dyslexia. Designed for uniqueness of glyphs and for minimising eye strain.

https://gumroad.com/l/OpenDyslexic# http://dyslite.com/home/download/dyslite-mono-dyslexic/

I've used them for several years ( even though I'm not dyslexic ) and now find 'normal' terminal fonts to be extremely harsh on the eye. Probably the best change I've ever made to my programming environment.

Re: Hack: A typeface designed for source code

#34

Why does source code have to be shown in fixed width? I've been using non-fixed width fonts for about a year now and I find it much nicer on the eyes. The only downside I've found is that sometimes things don't line up quite as nicely, which is purely cosmetic.

If you use vim keybindings, it's certainly nice to be able to move between lines without your cursor jumping around.

Re: Hack: A typeface designed for source code

#36

Why does source code have to be shown in fixed width? I've been using non-fixed width fonts for about a year now and I find it much nicer on the eyes. The only downside I've found is that sometimes things don't line up quite as nicely, which is purely cosmetic.

Most people consider that anything but cosmetic.

Re: Hack: A typeface designed for source code

#39
post #13

I desperately want to find a new code font to love but I always return to Consolas.

I've been using the X 6x13 font for about 12-13 years. Though these days I've had to switch to a TrueType one that looks the same - presumably reproducing the pixels with hand-drawn boxes...

Hack is quite nice in terms of the aspect ratio, but in common with many modern fonts it doesn't look very good at low point sizes on a ~100dpi monitor. Not exactly unexpected - nobody bothers to hint their fonts any more, and/or provide bitmap versions for low point sizes - I'm sure it takes ages anyway and most people won't care - but still a shame. I have antialiasing switched off on Windows, and Hack looks pretty horrible. But 9pt non-AA Arial Unicode MS shows delightful-looking small fonts are possible...

Looks good on a retina display though. Just need to replace all my monitors with 250+dpi ones and I'll be set!

Re: Hack: A typeface designed for source code

#40
post #3

Now that I have a 4k monitor, I notice how unrefined the shapes of most programming fonts are. Of course this is on purpose and the right choice for typical resolutions, but it would be cool if someone designed a bit more elegant monospace font for 4k displays.

Source Code Pro and Consolas are the best ones for me on high DPI displays. SCP is also very good on normal displays.
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