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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

#81

Post by Practicality »

nwatson wrote: post #70
cperciva wrote: post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Let's click on this link... ah, not that link, let's go back. Yes, this link... NO! STOP MOVING!" This is my #1 complaint about reddit. Not due to fonts; but rather when I load reddit on my phone, a "get the reddit app" banner appears... timed perfectly so that my attempt to view my messages sends me off to the app store.

I'm convinced this page-jumps-as-you're-about-to-touch is a dark pattern to some clickbait time-waster sites use to get more mobile ad clicks. Just when I'm about to click 'Next' to see the 7th-of-53 stoopid-photos-taken-at-Walmart an ad link jumps to be right under my finger.

You gotta stop going to those sites. :)

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

#82

Post by skykooler »

cperciva wrote: post #49
Declanomous wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As much as I believe font matters, I really think people should just use system fonts in general. No content is definitely more annoying than ugly content, but I have a seething hatred for webpages who jump around as content loads. "Let's click on this link... ah, not that link, let's go back. Yes, this link... NO! STOP MOVING!" Besides, I'm used to my fonts. I know your fonts are a deliberate design choice, but I'm…

"Let's click on this link... ah, not that link, let's go back. Yes, this link... NO! STOP MOVING!" This is my #1 complaint about reddit. Not due to fonts; but rather when I load reddit on my phone, a "get the reddit app" banner appears... timed perfectly so that my attempt to view my messages sends me off to the app store.

This even happens on Youtube, on a 200 mbit+ connection - I go to a page, and just as I reach over to click a link some stylesheet finally shows up and everything moves up by twenty pixels.

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

#83

Post by CoolGuySteve »

I had the exact same problem in China last month, only worse because I was also going through a crowded VPN. The only page I could reliably load before losing patience was Hacker News.

The best workaround I found was to load Opera Mini and crank up the compression proxy. It's annoying though, if Opera Mini can automatically compress the page's imaging and formatting, why can't the web server do the same?

We can nag designers/developers all day long about web fonts and whatnot, but at the end of the day, only an automated solution is going to actually get put into regular use.

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

#84

Post by esonderegger »

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…

Have none of you ever worked for a designer or marketing person who was unwilling to accept that a bit of text might wrap on Windows (Arial), but fit on one line on a Mac (Helvetica)?

Until we can get the major operating systems to include some of the most popular open-source fonts, we're stuck with web fonts.

If macOS, Windows, Debian, iOS, and Android all came with Roboto, Source Sans, Lato, Merriweather, Raleway, etc. pre-installed, then we could make the case that if we used those fonts instead of non-free ones we would have consistency across all platforms and better performance for our users.

Since I doubt that day will ever come, we instead need to weigh an inconsistent appearance against a poor experience for those on slow connections. Different organizations will choose to prioritize different things, and that's ok.

A significant portion of marketers and designers will always demand pixel perfection for their websites. I'm just glad we're not putting text inside of images any more.

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

#86

Post by jimktrains2 »

esonderegger wrote: post #84
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…

Have none of you ever worked for a designer or marketing person who was unwilling to accept that a bit of text might wrap on Windows (Arial), but fit on one line on a Mac (Helvetica)? Until we can get the major operating systems to include some of the most popular open-source fonts, we're stuck with web fonts. If macOS, Windows, Debian, iOS, and Android all came with Roboto, Source Sans, Lato, Merriweather, Raleway,…

> Have none of you ever worked for a designer or marketing person who was unwilling to accept that a bit of text might wrap on Windows (Arial), but fit on one line on a Mac (Helvetica)? > Until we can get the major operating systems to include some of the most popular open-source fonts, we're stuck with web fonts.

This really seems to be a problem with marketing and design people; we're not stuck with webfonts. We're stuck with unreasonable people.

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

#87

Post by cdata »

tyingq wrote: post #10

A 1.2 MB blog post complaining about bloat.

This comment is misleading and seems mean spirited to me. On a fresh page load with cache disabled, I'm reading 165kb transferred. The GIFs are useful and lazily loaded in response to user interactions.

"Be more constructive with your feedback!"[1]

1: https://youtu.be/FArZxLj6DLk?t=88

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

#90

Post by greenshackle2 »

smacktoward wrote: post #48
Declanomous wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As much as I believe font matters, I really think people should just use system fonts in general. No content is definitely more annoying than ugly content, but I have a seething hatred for webpages who jump around as content loads. "Let's click on this link... ah, not that link, let's go back. Yes, this link... NO! STOP MOVING!" Besides, I'm used to my fonts. I know your fonts are a deliberate design choice, but I'm…

> I know your fonts are a deliberate design choice, but I'm here for content. Categorizing type as "a design choice" dismisses it as fashion rather than function, which I don't think is the case. Type can put fashion over function, but it can also enhance function by making text more readable, or perform a mix of both functions by expressing a point visually that reinforces the point the page is making textually. It…

> Type can put fashion over function, but it can also enhance function by making text more readable

I'm sympathetic to that, but is there really no system font that is sufficiently readable?

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