Re: [css-fonts] "system" generic font name

Maciej Stachowiak composed on 2015-07-20 15:53 (UTC-0700):

> There are cases where that's useful, but we've also had requests to just
> match the system font in general, rather than a purpose-specific
> size/weight of the system font.

[conjecture]
It seems like this would have been considered as the font shorthand and/or
form control specs were originally developed, which could mean it purposely
didn't make it in due to potential for use to dupe naive users into thinking
text in the viewport was in fact part of browser UI.
[/conjecture]

> Note that the unspecified font can't compatibly be the system font because
> it is traditionally a serif font,

The thing about that is the user agents are typically being used on devices
intended to be personalized by users. Defaults are supposed to be starting
points, not stone monuments of committee decisions. I've run across people
who prefer serif to sans. I even know people who know defaults can be
changed, and who've changed them, plus people who *needed* them changed. :-)
-- 
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Received on Monday, 20 July 2015 23:22:04 UTC