Posted by JWS on 11/02/07 18:36

dorayme wrote:

> Also try the other thing I suggested and leave it out
> altogether

No, I wouldn't do that; it is a taste thing. The 20% 'leading'
makes the text (IMHO) more readable than when the lines are just
packed together without strips of lead between them. I tried it
again just now, and decided I really want the 20% extra space.

Do you have an explanation of why 1.2 does not equal 120%?

> [..] I am on a Mac and the view is rather the same in both
> Safari and Firefox (to take a couple of excellent browsers),
> perhaps this shot of the relevant bit will help you:

> http://netweaver.com.au/test/pics/jan_applet.png

Thanks much for this. It is really nice with this Mac look. FYI on
my own (Linux/Firefox) system it has this much more impoverished look:

http://www.jw-stumpel.nl/app-snap.png

Not so nice, but at least you can see all the text. I use a
'minimalistic' type of Java which produces small files, and relies
on the user's system to provide GUI elements like buttons, etc.
Basically my studies have not progressed to the point where I can
program more sophisticated Java.

> Just a thought for you: since your applet is not user sizable,
> err on the side of caution and have bigger fonts in it, better
> to do this than make them hard to read for some people.

AFAIK Java applets are never user-sizable. The size (in pixels)
has to be set in the HTML which carries the applet (between the
<applet> tags, <object> tags, or whatever). In this case
the width is 800 pixels. There is simply no room for a bigger
font; in fact, in the case of the Macintosh, it seems I would have
to make the font smaller. It looks though that by juggling it a
little bit, I could make it fit even on the Mac at your present
font size.

But this depends on the font size not changing. If you change the
font size (or type) on your Mac, does the font in the applet
change too, or is it fixed? In Windows and Linux, it is fixed. And
BTW, how about print-previewing applets on the Mac?

> An applet like this looks quite suited to your modelling aims

Well, yes, that's what I thought too. I would think that Java
applets are excellent for instructional / educational texts, and
am in fact amazed that they have never really taken off.

> and well done for giving it a go!

Thanks.

Regards, Jan

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