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New free monospace programming font by Mark Simonson: Anonymous Pro

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Re: New free monospace programming font by Mark Simonson: Anonymous Pro

#71

Post by xiongchiamiov »

doty wrote: post #42

I wonder what the world would be like if somebody designed a nice variable-width font for typesetting code. It would be different than a font designed for setting English, but I wonder if we wouldn't get the same benefits of beauty and legibility. I mean, it's kinda silly that we continue to program in fixed-width type, given what modern software can do with setting type on the fly...

It gets significantly less silly when you look at code that is meant to be aligned, and isn't in a variable-width font.

Re: New free monospace programming font by Mark Simonson: Anonymous Pro

#73

Post by tekhammer »

I use my own customised bitmap font under Linux. I couldn't get the font working under OS-X, but didn't try very hard as Linux is on all my main machines.

I have it here in case anyone is interested in it. It allows me to fit 4 terminals across on a 1920x1200 screen nicely with a bit of room to spare.

http://wtf.geek.nz/2010/09/my-small-programmers-font/

Re: New free monospace programming font by Mark Simonson: Anonymous Pro

#76

Post by doty »

__david__ wrote: post #67
Shorel wrote: post #59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The 'using spaces instead of tabs' issue seems to have something to do with this.

It's more than that--I tend to lean towards words with the same number of characters for variable names which helps make things line up. Variable width would kill that too.

Do you think that you use fixed width fonts because you use words like that, or do you use words like that because you use fixed width fonts?

Re: New free monospace programming font by Mark Simonson: Anonymous Pro

#77

Post by doty »

xiongchiamiov wrote: post #71
doty wrote: post #42

I wonder what the world would be like if somebody designed a nice variable-width font for typesetting code. It would be different than a font designed for setting English, but I wonder if we wouldn't get the same benefits of beauty and legibility. I mean, it's kinda silly that we continue to program in fixed-width type, given what modern software can do with setting type on the fly...

It gets significantly less silly when you look at code that is meant to be aligned, and isn't in a variable-width font.

You can always align variable width fonts with TAB.

Because a tab is frequently equivalent to a number of spaces in a fixed width font, we get religious wars about tabs vs spaces. In a variable width font, I presume you would use only tabs.

It mat also be the case that c and c-family languages (or python and python-like languages) are not the best choice for such a typesetting system.

Re: New free monospace programming font by Mark Simonson: Anonymous Pro

#78

Post by SoftwareMaven »

b3b0p wrote: post #33

I've been a die hard programmer font snob for years and have been using Bitstream Vera Sans Mono or Deja Vu Sans Mono. Mostly because it's free and can be used on all platforms. Then, Apple released Snow Leopard with Menlo. It had just enough small little changes that at a slightly smaller point size it was easier to read. I fell in love. I've actually now trained my self to really enjoy using 10 point unaliased Mona…

It's amazing how close Menlo and Deja Vu Sans Mono are. I like the lighter punctuation in Deja Vu but the = character is clearer in Menlo. I like the zero with a slash in Menlo, too.

Re: New free monospace programming font by Mark Simonson: Anonymous Pro

#79

Post by spicyj »

SoftwareMaven wrote: post #78
b3b0p wrote: post #33

I've been a die hard programmer font snob for years and have been using Bitstream Vera Sans Mono or Deja Vu Sans Mono. Mostly because it's free and can be used on all platforms. Then, Apple released Snow Leopard with Menlo. It had just enough small little changes that at a slightly smaller point size it was easier to read. I fell in love. I've actually now trained my self to really enjoy using 10 point unaliased Mona…

It's amazing how close Menlo and Deja Vu Sans Mono are. I like the lighter punctuation in Deja Vu but the = character is clearer in Menlo. I like the zero with a slash in Menlo, too.

You know, Menlo is based on Deja Vu Sans Mono.

http://typophile.com/node/58625#comment-351070

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