Re: onscreen font sizes

On 2012/03/04 10:22 (GMT+1100) Adam Cooper composed:

> I am seeking a tool for calculating on screen font sizes that takes viewport
> size, resolution, monitor pitch, browser defaults,  and specified font sizes
> etc. into consideration ... something whereby I can enter these variables,
> crank the handle, and come up with a result that provides a useful
> comparison to printed font sizes. Does anyone know of this holy grail?

REM & EM http://www.w3.org/WAI/GL/css2em.htm 
http://www.w3.org/TR/css3-values/#font-relative-lengths

The magic is that the user is in position to customize his personal computing 
device if and when he finds the base font size in his browser is 
inappropriate. No designer is in position to do better, no matter how many 
things he might fetch from the DOM. The designer who sticks to sizing only 
contextually, leaving the base size at the user's specification, is doing the 
best job for accessibility.

The relationship to print isn't necessarily useful. A major advantage of the 
web is the absence of necessity to fit content to a known size of output 
medium. Browsers inherently adapt to the wide variation of available viewport 
space in users' agents. Web user space adapts to user needs in ways no other 
medium can compare to. Web designer use of CSS typically limits that 
adaptability, reducing accessibility as a result.

IOW, if you resist the temptation to try to make the web look like cookie-cut 
magazine pages, you maximize accessibility, and user experience.
-- 
"The wise are known for their understanding, and pleasant
words are persuasive." Proverbs 16:21 (New Living Translation)

  Team OS/2 ** Reg. Linux User #211409 ** a11y rocks!

Felix Miata  ***  http://fm.no-ip.com/

Received on Sunday, 4 March 2012 00:01:50 UTC