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For example, in German compound nouns, you do not set a ligature between the two nouns. For instance, "Kaufläche" (Kau: chewing, + Fläche: area) should be written with ligature, while in "Kaufleute" (Kauf: purchase, + Leute: people, = merchants) the ligature should be avoided.
I thought it was a bad idea the first time I saw it, and after seeing it in real code I still think the same thing.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Wow you weren't kidding. I have no opinion on the matter but that's just arrogant.
This isn't just some blogger though. Matthew Butterick wrote http://practicaltypography.com/ .
Maybe it is required reading in typography circles, but to someone reading the submission who merely uses a font, this doesn't seem much of a credential.
I agree with the article, but the arguments the author gives are not quite spot-on. Ligatures render code unreadable, there is no way to see how to enter a particular character sequence that is shown as a ligature. They might beautify code for some individuals, but they should never be used for showing code in an public or explanatory context, like on the web. Some operators are no longer recognisable, a few just loo…
> they should never be used for showing code in an public or explanatory context This I can definitely agree with. The readability issue, in my opinion, is fine and coarse grained. If I'm scanning my own code, having ligatures on is quicker for me to understand and is ultimately more readable. But (and this is a large but), when editing my own code, ligatures are useless and in the way. Thus I set my editor to remove…
I use vim, so I find it great to have them in normal mode, and then disabled (set conceal =0) on entering insert mode.
I don't use ligatures, but I really don't see a problem with other people using them. It's fine, it's a style preference thing, that, like fonts and colour schemes, is as much fashion and personal preference as it is anything. But it's fine.
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I'm sure the author is well aware of the difference between encoding and display, since they have apparently designed their own fonts. However, their argument seems to be that since ligatures are just a hack to make plain text look like something fancy, you end up with confusing interactions due to the lack of context. Now I don't think this is likely to cause lots of problems in practice, since most people won't use…
I'm aware that Butterick is the author of several fonts, but this article has a surprising amount of vitriol from someone who should know that the choice of a programming font doesn't affect anyone but the programmer who chose it. During the article, he takes several opportunities to point out that his opinions are actually facts. Typographers usually have a lot of responsibility because their decisions can affect th…
I disagree with this. The problem with lots of programming tools is the difficulty of judging which options are the best for your use case, before you have the experience of using them for a long time. So there is a real temptation to just go along with what everyone else seems to be doing; since they presumably know the benefits. There doesn't even have to be a real trend; it's enough when there's one in your perception.
I have certainly done quite a lot of trend-following myself. I have used relative line numbering in vim ever since I started using it, simply because the first person I ever saw using vim had that option active. Later, when I found myself doing mental arithmetic to get absolute line numbers, I was simply too lazy to make the switch. I have actually only just now gotten around to changing my config.
So someone who is thinking about switching to a ligatured code font might benefit from an article like this, if it turns out that the issues raised would be too annoying for them. If they don't think those will be a problem, however, they can just go right ahead and make the switch.
I've not had any issues. The => ligature looking like the right arrow character is just like a cyrillic A looking like a latin A - it's a problem that never manifests itself.
The author has a very subjective opinion that they try and present as fact.
Honestly, this sounds like the kind of argument you could present about how syntax highlighting is a terrible idea. It might be wrong! I don't use ligatures, but I really don't see a problem with other people using them. It's fine, it's a style preference thing, that, like fonts and colour schemes, is as much fashion and personal preference as it is anything. But it's fine.