Fwd: [css3-fonts] Nested 'bolder' and 'lighter' question

Posted to list, rather than assuming that only fantasai would care about my
opinions.  ^_^

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Tab Atkins Jr. <jackalmage@gmail.com>
Date: Wed, Aug 27, 2008 at 1:48 PM
Subject: Re: [css3-fonts] Nested 'bolder' and 'lighter' question
To: fantasai <fantasai.lists@inkedblade.net>


On Wed, Aug 27, 2008 at 1:23 PM, fantasai <fantasai.lists@inkedblade.net>wrote:

>
> The spec isn't clear on what exactly happens here, so the CSSWG
> decided to ask web designers what they expect. So far I have two
> responses and they don't match. Anyone else have an opinion? :)
>
> fantasai wrote:
>
>> Given
>>
>>  <a>
>>    Text A
>>    <b style="font-weight: bolder">
>>      Text B
>>      <c style="font-weight: bolder">
>>        Text C
>>        <d style="font-weight: lighter">
>>          Text D
>>        </d>
>>      </c>
>>    </b>
>>  </a>
>>
>> If you have three different weights in your font (normal, bold,
>> extra-bold) then
>>  - Text A will be normal
>>  - Text B will be bold
>>  - Text C will be extra-bold
>>  - Text D will be bold
>>
>> If you have only two weights in your font (normal, bold) then
>>  - Text A will be normal
>>  - Text B will be bold
>>  - Text C will be bold
>>
>> What should Text D be? Bold or normal?
>>
>
> I would say bold, if I were being so bold. -- Andy Clarke
>
> I say it goes to normal. -- Molly Holzschlag
>
> ~fantasai


Keep it *bold*.  I recognize and appreciate the arguments for making D go to
normal (when you specify a bolder/lighter, you want a noticeable difference
if possible), but must bow to the fact that I really, *really* want my
bolder/lighter commands to balance appropriately, regardless of the font
being used.  Letting D go to normal would mean that in any nontrivial set of
nested bolder/lighter commands, I have *no* way of knowing what level I'm
actually at (since I don't have final control over what font the user is
viewing my page with), which could result in some really weird-looking text
and possibly screw up the expressed semantics of my text something fierce.
The possibility of losing some meaning expressed by the extra-bolding in
font that don't support the extra-bold face is easier to live with.

~TJ