Posted by Vaxius on 10/05/07 00:08

On Sep 29, 1:25 pm, "Jonathan N. Little" <lws4...@centralva.net>
wrote:
> 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; }

There's no base font-size here: 100% of what?

>
> --
> Take care,
>
> Jonathan
> -------------------
> LITTLE WORKS STUDIOhttp://www.LittleWorksStudio.com

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