"Segoe UI" font is really really BAD idea

[MaxX]

25.09.13 Added: Windows Vista or newer: Use "Segoe UI Semibold" as new default main window and list font if available (32/64)

I use remote desktop and this font looks awful.

When cleartype is off, segoe looks much worse. When CT is on, it looks not so bad but much worse than any other font.

Proof: http://iceimg.com/i/97/ac/7ca238c718.png

Better solution is Tahoma, Verdana, Arial... Lucida Console.
Please, use anything, but not this [censored].

[Biozynotiker]

Yeah its ugly, but this happens with all cleartype fonts,
if you use remote desktop on vista or newer (even with explorer).
(I have the same problem with notepad++ and consolas font).

Since Segoe UI is the default font since Vista, this is a right step i think.
But, this is not a forced option (like other stuff in the past), so you can change it to you own needs.

[MaxX]

2Biozynotiker
I have classic windows theme which uses Tahoma 8 for any text. It looks perfect always, no matter if any font-smoothing used.

Now TC becomes the only program with Segoe. That's really bad.

It would be better NOT to force Segoe for Win6.0+, but use theme-set font.
E.g., if I set aero - TC is Segoe (as all another text on desktop), if I use classic shell - TC is Tahoma/Verdana/Arial/... (the font set by theme). All the programs have this.

[Biozynotiker]

Segoe UI is not forced, it's just the the default font if you run TC
with a clean ini, or never changed any fonts in TC.

Look in the "Configuration > Options > Font" menu, you can change it.

[MaxX]

2Biozynotiker
I know I can.
But now I see that it would be perfect to use (by default) the font set by user in windows' appearance theme instead of forced Segoe.

[Sob]

As I belong to people who said that default bold Microsoft Sans Serif should go away, I must say in my defense that I of course meant to use current font set in Windows, not to just hardcode another one!

I'm lucky that I messed with font settings in TC before and have it saved in ini. Because if I started TC after upgrade and saw Segoe UI, it would be my death for sure (I'm Classic theme lover & ClearType hater).

[MVV]

This simple code allows to get information about current system fonts:

Code: Select all

		NONCLIENTMETRICS ncm;
		ncm.cbSize=sizeof(ncm);
		SystemParametersInfo(SPI_GETNONCLIENTMETRICS, ncm.cbSize, &ncm, 0);

Structure member lfMessageFont is what we need for dialogs. And it is really Tahoma for classic Win7 theme.

IMO Tahoma much better than Verdana because it looks more compact. But Segoe looks not so bad with clear type too, and it is even more compact (Segoe 9 B is more compact than Tahoma 8 B).

[norfie²]

In my cases (W7x64, W8x64) it looks good for me. Cleartype is enabled by default.

[Lefteous]

Maybe some explanation from my side where is change is coming from. There is a thread in the German forum with a very long and contrary discussion on the subject:
http://www.ghisler.ch/board/viewtopic.php?t=23858

Here is a summary of the different opinions made in the - so far - last part of the discussion:

• Introduce a selection where users can the change installation or first start to use the old default font or the Windows default font
• Introduce a monospace font as default (or as an option)
• Apply the current Windows font as default font of TC
• Use Segoe UI, semibold as new default font

[Lefteous]

2MVV

Structure member lfMessageFont is what we need for dialogs.

During the discussion in the German forum I tried to find out which structure member contains the font for the Explorer font (used in file lists which is also the desktop font). Although I changed the font for the element 'Icon' in control panel (pressing apply changed the desktop font immediately) lfMessageFont still contained 'Segoe UI'. Any idea?

[MVV]

Lefteous,
It is interesting. I changed Icon font to SimSun (weird funny font), it is now used in Explorer windows, but this structure still shows all "Tahoma". So, this structure can't be used to get Explorer list font.

Got it.

Code: Select all

		LOGFONT lfIconFont;
		SystemParametersInfo(SPI_GETICONTITLELOGFONT, sizeof(lfIconFont), &lfIconFont, 0);

[Lefteous]

2MVV

SPI_GETICONTITLELOGFONT

Good work - seems to work fine!

[Sob]

• Introduce a selection where users can the change installation or first start to use the old default font or the Windows default font

TC shows whole Options dialog at first start. Who wants to set custom font can do it. Adding some extra way to change just font seems strange. Perhaps it could work as part of something bigger, predefined profiles for whole groups of settings (like mouse selection mode and such, i.e. quick initial configuration for "traditional TC"/"current Windows way"/etc..).

• Introduce a monospace font as default (or as an option)
• Apply the current Windows font as default font of TC
• Use Segoe UI, semibold as new default font

TC should by default use the best font for each user. Which one it is, we can't know. But you can't deny that current Windows font has some advantage, because user either specifically selected it or at least doesn't hate it enough to do something about it. That's more than you can say about any other font.

[Lefteous]

2Sob
I just listed the different opinions stated in the German thread.

TC should by default use the best font for each user. Which one it is, we can't know. But you can't deny that current Windows font has some advantage, because user either specifically selected it or at least doesn't hate it enough to do something about it. That's more than you can say about any other font.

This is also my opinion - for the very same reasons.

[petermad]

TC should by default use the best font for each user. Which one it is, we can't know. But you can't deny that current Windows font has some advantage, because user either specifically selected it or at least doesn't hate it enough to do something about it. That's more than you can say about any other font.

I agree to this too.