[thelist] dynamic font size

[Shawn K. Quinn]

On Wed, 2005-07-13 at 04:56 +0300, VOLKAN ÖZÇELİK wrote:
  [I wrote:]
> > Most browsers already have this built in. There's no need, and plenty of
> > reason not to, re-implement what the browser already has.
>  
> 
> There may be reasons (we love clients don't we?) though :)

Extra controls duplicating existing browser functionality often serve
little good except to confuse the user. Especially when the extra
controls don't work due to disabled Javascript.

> Because, to enable font-resize the font-size CSS attribute may only be
> supplied with relative units such as em's or with x-large, xx-large,
> small etc - type CSS value.
> 
> Either of these has their problems for thier own sake. Neither em's,
> nor other relative font-size attributes are not unique in height
> between different platforms/OS's. This generally leads real pain in
> the arse if you use font-sizes below the default "normal" size

Which you shouldn't be doing to begin with.

> and most of the time we -as designers- do use 'cuz the default size
> is, imho, too big to be pleasent to our eyes.

Then make the default size smaller in your browser. Problem solved.

> Even if we insist not to use and leave the decision to use the right
> size to the user;
> the user:
> 
> i. either may not have the knowlegde that their browser has a adjust
> font size or page zoom property.

Then they need to learn this.

> ii. Or the default sizes provided will be "way too large" according to
> them and will think that the site is not aestetically pleasing to
> their eyes.

Again, they need to learn they have the power to change this.

> Because only pixel is universal across all platforms/browsers.
> 1px is 1px; the smallest tiny dot on the screen in MSIE-win, in
> Safari-Mac, in Opera-Linux, in Saturn Neptun Pluto...

Actually, in true CSS-compliant browsers, 1 px may or may not be the
same as 1 physical screen pixel:
<http://www.w3.org/TR/CSS2/syndata.html#length-units>

-- 
Shawn K. Quinn <skquinn at speakeasy.net>