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Top Programming Fonts

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161–170 of 174 posts

Re: Top Programming Fonts

#161
post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've been using Verdana for coding for years, with some modifications. I've changed the parentheses, braces, operators etc. to be more prominent - that makes it just perfect for me. Edit: screenshot here: http://i.imgur.com/xv5oz.png

Would you be willing to share your modified font? Also, what color scheme is that?

I'm not sure about the legality of sharing a Microsoft font... the color scheme is my own.

Re: Top Programming Fonts

#164

Every second spent on "programming font" choice is a second wasted. Every single second. Twiddling fonts is to programming what applying flame decals is to car racing. If the font doesn't become transparent to you after uhm, about 5 seconds of focusing at the code then you should permanently switch to iPads as you have no business doing any real computing.

I think a better analogy is "Twiddling fonts is to programming what choosing a helmet is to car racing". An ill-fitting helmet will probably do the job just as well as a good fitting helmet, but why be uncomfortable? That said, I agree that there's a limit to how much effort you should put into font selection -- find one that you like and that works for your purposes and leave it at that.

Re: Top Programming Fonts

#165

I experiment with this a lot, my fonts folder is full of fixed width fonts. But I somehow always go back to Monaco (11pt) white on black background. This is using TextMate, non anti-alias. (Example: http://tinypic.com/r/2hnayq8/7 ) Perhaps TextMate is too limited in this respect (it doesn't handle proportional fonts well).

I searched through this whole thread looking for 'alias' to see if anyone else also can't stand anti-aliased fonts for coding, and I see that there are a few of us. I also always end up back with Monaco, but 10pt black on white. Perfectly readable and easy on the eyes.

Re: Top Programming Fonts

#166
post #154
post #117

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't know. Verdana and style? Verdana? Letter Gothic, for example, has tons more style than most other fonts, proportional or not. Verdana, in that context, is to me just as to quite a bit more boring than nearly all the fonts mentioned in the article. (Courier excluded.)

Courier has tons style (i [heart] ny!) and see also [Courier Sans]( http://lineto.com/The+Fonts/Font+Categories/Text+Fonts/Couri... ), and so does verdana. I know, i know, it's verdana, the scourge of late 90s web design but it still has style (doesn't everything?), it's just that verdana has come to encompass 'corporate' and 'default' and 'websafe' in much the same way that the verizon logo encompasses 'design by co…

You did argue the issue, claiming that some fonts do have style and some don’t. I didn’t start.

It’s at least nice to see that you agree that your argument is rubbish ;-)

Re: Top Programming Fonts

#167
post #68

Several others here have suggested my favorite font already, the standard 6x13 "Fixed" bitmap font. Pretty much every Linux machine has a version of this, but most modern Debians (and probably others) that ship with fontconfig have bitmapped fonts turned off by default for programs that use fontconfig for their font info (i.e., not xterm, but gnome-terminal, usually gvim, et cetera). If you want to use Fixed and othe…

Would you consider taking a screenshot of how that looks?

Re: Top Programming Fonts

#168

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I switched over to antialiased fonts a while ago, but every so often I feel the urge to go retro and switch back to Terminus for a few weeks.

You could use the TTF version of Terminus with anti-aliasing.

I tried that, but it didn't look good. I used to use antialiased fonts, but switched to Terminus to get a lot more info on the screen. I tried making all of the antialiased fonts in the article smaller, but then they lost their good looks. Same with antialiased terminus.

Re: Top Programming Fonts

#169
post #166
post #154

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Courier has tons style (i [heart] ny!) and see also [Courier Sans]( http://lineto.com/The+Fonts/Font+Categories/Text+Fonts/Couri... ), and so does verdana. I know, i know, it's verdana, the scourge of late 90s web design but it still has style (doesn't everything?), it's just that verdana has come to encompass 'corporate' and 'default' and 'websafe' in much the same way that the verizon logo encompasses 'design by co…

You did argue the issue, claiming that some fonts do have style and some don’t. I didn’t start. It’s at least nice to see that you agree that your argument is rubbish ;-)

:)

Re: Top Programming Fonts

#170
From my experience,a lot programmers get set in their ways. For example, I just stuck with using the standard Console font for my IDE when I installed it years ago. Then I came across this article, or one similar, and messed around with different fonts and sizes. The difference it made was surprising. I feel like it definitely has made an improvement in how I work. I would recommend people try testing new fonts, layouts, etc at least once a year. the aesthetics is just as important as the content, even when coding.
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