Poll: User interface font name & size

[Ellis Dee]

I'm an old man, so I like my display big and clunky: 800x600 all the way. I recognize that I'm very much in the minority on this.

In today's world, I figure most people are in 1024x768 or higher. So that has me wondering what the default font name & size is that you guys use for your user interface.

My old and slow machine can only handle resolutions up to 1280x1024. After cursory inspection, Arial 12 seems presentable enough, but that's just from a few minutes of messing around.

So I ask for everyone else's opinion. Think of this as a poll, and respond with the following info:

• The display resolution you use
• The font name & size you're most comfortable reading

You may answer as many different ways as you like. (Maybe your work and home computer are in different resolutions.) I'll start:

800x600, MS Sans Serif 8

[Code Doc]

1024 x 768, Verdana 10

[RhinoBull]

I'm using 1680x1050 on my 24" widescreen.
But that is my development environment (I need as much desktop space as I can get) so some of testing is needed to make sure all forms can perfectly fit (and appear) on the regular screen.

Fonts depend on the editor but most often I am fine defaults.

[Hack]

Like Rhino, I develop on a wide screen. But, I also have in my cube a standard desktop PC that is configured and set to mirror the setup of my end users so as soon as I'm done with something I can port it over and see how it is going to look for them.

[RhinoBull]

Like Rhino, I develop on a wide screen. But, I also have in my cube a standard desktop PC that is configured and set to mirror the setup of my end users so as soon as I'm done with something I can port it over and see how it is going to look for them.

So, do I - there is a regular 17" screen on my desk but it's set to 1024x768.
I think 800x600 by today's measures is a bit of an extreme, isn't it?

[MartinLiss]

Moved.

[Hack]

I think 800x600 by today's measures is a bit of an extreme, isn't it?

I don't know about elsewhere but it would be considered extreme in my shop.

[Ellis Dee]

Hack, what font name & size do you typically use?

RhinoBull, do you mean you use MS Sans Serif 8?

Martin, yeah, my bad. This is the more appropriate forum, but at 1% of the traffic of Classic VB, I have little hope for a decent number of replies. Such is life, I s'pose.

[RhinoBull]

As I said - it depends on the editor:

- MS Word uses Times New Roman as default font
- In Notepad I have Lucida Console
- VB editor uses Courier New
- MS Sans Serif is what VB6 IDE uses as default for every new control
- in .Net it's something else...
- Browsers are using god knows what...

I'm pretty comfortable with any of those fonts and some others as well.
But I may adjust the size to #10 - on the big screen with high resolution it could be a little difficult to read.

[MotoMan_Yz400]

Yeah both on my comp at work and my personal laptop I run 1600x1200 for developing. I try to base my programs around 1280x1024 (most all my programs are for personal use) but when i need to write programs for work i base it around 1024x768 (which i feel it doesnt give enough form room )

[Hack]

Hack, what font name & size do you typically use?

The default.

However, all my programs have the ability to change both the font and font size according to the individual tastes of the user.

[Slaine]

1280x1024 + 1680x1050 (dual monitor setup)

Not sure about fonts, depends what I am working on - IDE, word processor, web work etc.

[penagate]

I use 1680x1050 + 1024x768. The font I use depends completely upon the context: for large blocks of text, I prefer a seriffed font (Garamond is nice) at 12pt or so; for small chunks of on-screen text, the system default (8pt Tahoma in Windows 2000+, 9pt Segoe UI in Vista); for code, Lucida Console 11pt (with 1.2 line spacing - I'm picky about that too ).

For both desktop and web applications, user interfaces should ideally be as fluid as possible; your design should be able to accommodate the user's choice of font size and resolution. Windows/pages should not be fixed in dimensions, but rather resize as required or as the user prefers. Windows that cram tons of controls into a tiny space are a usability nightmare, and the last thing people want to see when opening up a page on a wide screen is a vast amount of white space and some 2pt writing in a corner that says "Best viewed in Internet Explorer at 800x600".

[Murli.V]

1024X768 Times New Roman 12

[NPassero]

1920x1200 24" - work
1600x1050 17" - laptop

Verdana, 9-10 (bold)