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Posted by Jonathan N. Little on 09/29/07 18:25
Jukka K. Korpela wrote:
> Scripsit Jonathan N. Little:
>
>> fefewf wrote:
>>> why is using pixel font sizes wrong?
>
> I wonder whether we being trolled.
>
>> Because for folks who use MSIE that cannot change the size.
>
> Actually, there is one mistake and one misleading point in that
> statement, although it's generally a good answer to people asking stupid
> questions. Oops... there are no stupid questions, just... But to the point:
>
> 1) People using Internet Explorer (officially called Windows Internet
> Explorer now, though some people prefer using the older full name or its
> abbreviation) _
WIE, or should I say WEE! Whatever. I like MS's naming that lends to the
already entrench misconception that MS(W)IE is required to browse the
Internet on Windows system.
> can_ change font sizes on web pages. Most of them just
> don't know how. (They need to use a setting that overrides _all_ font
> sizes set on web pages, or use a user style sheet with !important.) Even
> fewer also care to, so the basic conclusion is indeed:
Most IE(okay?) users are ignorant enough of the menu "View > Text Size>
...." let alone fool with user stylesheets. Sorry just been my observation.
>
>> If a visitor cannot read the text...bye-bye visitor.
>
> 2) The misleading part is that the formulation suggests that this is
> some kind of browser peculiarity, rather than the way browsers are
> required to behave. If you set font size in pixels, then pixels shall it
> be. This is one of the few things that IE implements by the book and
> many other browsers don't.
Agreed. Although it is small consolation on what they miss... but hey,
if all browsers followed a common spec where would be the challenge in
web design?
> Letting font size increase affect such sizes
> is comparable to having a control that lets the user specify the size of
> a millimeter or the duration of a second. (In fact, the size of
> millimeter, inch etc. _do_ change if the monitor resolution is changed,
> but this is a different oddity.)
Agreed, discrete units px, in, cm, ... should not be user adjustable.
But that said, their implementation in webpages' visual style should be
carefully considered. The ramifications of bad design would be more
severe if browsers like Firefox didn't break the rules, been to some
sites that would not be accessible at all!
>
>> If you use em to size your fonts, it's like your library having
>> large-print versions of every book. This simple practice allows you to
>> offer a large-print version of your site.
>
> Except that this also happens if you don't set font size at all.
> However, setting font-size: 100% is recommended (though it is dummy in
> principle) as a weapon against some browser bugs. Using % is somewhat
> less risky than using em for font size, again due to browser bugs.
>
But, it the bug in question concerning that MS browser, and occurs if
you use em units to set the base font size? If you set the base font
size with % you can reference off of that in em's without problems?
body { font-size: 100%; }
..legalese { font-size: .75em; }
--
Take care,
Jonathan
-------------------
LITTLE WORKS STUDIO
http://www.LittleWorksStudio.com
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