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Web fonts, boy, I don't know

meowni.ca

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Re: Web fonts, boy, I don't know

#31

Post by dictum »

draw_down wrote: post #16

In truth, if web design took seriously the constraint of bad network connections, the result would be much different to what we have today. This is but one example. (And to be totally honest, if the author took that constraint seriously this page would be different as well.) But in that world, things would be less pretty and less flashy, and that stuff means more to people than they would care to admit.

If there was a way to progressively enhance based on available resources (connection speed, usage metering, device performance, battery charge) we wouldn't have to compromise.

As it is, you either design something really bare for the worst connection (which works for some content, but not all, and keeps us from effectively using the power we have in our devices) and serve it for all devices/connections, or design something for a mid-tier device/connection, which amounts to a bad experience on weak devices/connections and an unimaginative experience on better devices.

Re: Web fonts, boy, I don't know

#32

Post by detaro »

elcapitan wrote: post #27

Are there actually font blockers like ad blockers? That would solve the problem pretty easily for everybody who's annoyed. Although they probably won't be available for mobile browsers, where it's the most painful.

uBlock Origin has a switch to block "remote fonts". Should work in Firefox on Android as well.

Re: Web fonts, boy, I don't know

#33

Post by BinaryIdiot »

tyingq wrote: post #10

A 1.2 MB blog post complaining about bloat.

You do realize sometimes it's okay to have a page larger than, say, 50kb. Right? The gifs were a great way to show the exact issues she was discussing and they take up the bulk of that space. So why is that a bad thing in any way?

Yes web pages should, ideally, be small but that doesn't mean the media they show to the user has to be small as well.

Re: Web fonts, boy, I don't know

#34

Post by BinaryIdiot »

tvon wrote: post #17

I'm regularly annoyed by the flash when loading the Docker documentation, e.g. http://docs.docker.com/engine/reference/builder/ It's annoying enough to warrant using Stylish to override the web font.

Wow I never noticed that and now I can't unsee it and it's really distracting.

Re: Web fonts, boy, I don't know

#35

Post by kmfrk »

skizm wrote: post #14

Why are GIFs in articles a thing? Can anyone focus on the words while they are looping in the corner of your eye? I always open the inspector and delete the elements, but it is annoying to do that every time.

The GIFs are fine - although I get the impression that they weren't put through an optimizer.

Converting GIFs to autoplay=false videos is still a miserable experience with kinda awful results. Not to mention that it takes forever.

Re: Web fonts, boy, I don't know

#36

Post by prodigal_erik »

5350-uiop-1130 wrote: post #7

I have had the exact experience in the last month. Being on a slow connection, I've come to loath web fonts. There is nothing wrong with them in general but it's just that they've come to symbolise over-indulgence and a myopia towards the users actual task-focused needs as opposed to aesthetics. Part of the issue is dealing with progressive enhancement as far as slow internet connections go. How do you solve that pro…

> Would love an attribute on script and link tags that could be conditional based on connection speeds.

I can't help but think of Android's "battery saver" toggle, which leaves me wondering why there's a battery waster feature and why it's on by default.

Re: Web fonts, boy, I don't know

#37

Post by notwaldorf »

rndmize wrote: post #8

For God's sake man, don't leave a huge, fast gif infinitely looping where I can see it while trying to read your blog post. Make it activate after I scroll down to a certain point, or on hover, or anything that doesn't make me feel like I'm trying to read through a strobe light.

Sorry about that! I've changed them to just links!

Re: Web fonts, boy, I don't know

#40

Post by [deleted] »

5350-uiop-1130 wrote: post #7

I have had the exact experience in the last month. Being on a slow connection, I've come to loath web fonts. There is nothing wrong with them in general but it's just that they've come to symbolise over-indulgence and a myopia towards the users actual task-focused needs as opposed to aesthetics. Part of the issue is dealing with progressive enhancement as far as slow internet connections go. How do you solve that pro…

[deleted]
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