Given the ignorance of some of your users, I'd assume they were using IE. But remember, there's no such thing as fixed font design anymore. Mozilla, Safari et al all resize fonts irrespective of units.
-- Cameron Adams W: www.themaninblue.com --- Gary Menzel <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > I don't consider myself a guru on web standards > (specifically XHTML/CSS) > but am learning and getting better. > > I like standards. I dont like how they aren't > uniformly supported (and am > not really concerned about getting into another > Browser Wars thread). > > But I am having some issues with Relative Fonts (you > know the EM's). > > I understand them. Know why it is good to use them. > And have built the > "templates" (header/footer wrappers) for our site > with EM's. > > There are issues though.... > > * Embedded WYSIWYG editors are still very immature > when it comes to XHTML > and CSS (our CMS lets us plug in lots of editors but > most of them lack > something in some way or other) so enforcing the use > of EM's is flawed (at > best). Some of the editors support the use of > stylesheets and I suppose > that is a path I could go down - but fully compliant > XHTML is still > difficult given that most editors still allow hand > editing (and you do > still need that because the HTML world is not > perfect). Some of it may > size - some of it may not. > > * Lots of people out there don't even know their > Browser has the ability > to control font size in a relative way. So when we > launched our new site > we had HUNDREDS (not exagerating - they are all > logged) of complaints > about the font size being "too small" or "too big" > because they did not > have their font size set to "medium" (and there > doesn't appear to be a way > to detect what the setting is - probably because it > is not "standard"). > And, if you have a mouse with a scroll wheel, it is > very easy for the size > to change when you are on a "fixed size" page and > not realise it. > > * Some (more likely than less) designs just CANNOT > be implemented using > only relative fonts. Say you want to have a fixed > 200px wide column on > the right hand side and a "stretchy" column in the > middle. The content on > the right hand side HAS to be designed to "look" > right in that 200px > space. So that means you cannot really use relative > font sizes if you are > filling the 200px space. If they size it up - it > wont fit and will look > stupid. So this then defeats the purpose of using > relative fonts at all - > because, when they DO upsize the font, part of the > page will size and part > of it wont. Just go to some of the "well known" > CSS/XHTML standards-based > sites (wont mention any names) and you will find > that not every part of > the page sizes - but is this right? What if the bit > that is "too small" > for my eyes (e.g. the Menu) is the bit that the > designer has in a fixed > font ? > > > Lots of reasons to go back to fixed point sizes. > > > So - what does everyone do? > > > As I said, I know how EM's work, what they are for, > why you would use them > and am not asking about that - but I am just about > ready to go back to > fixed point sizes. I always thought I was just a > "tech head" programmer > but the designer in me is coming out and the > "aesthetics" of sites are > starting to assert themselves rather strongly. > Relative font sizes ruin > good design. > > > > Gary Menzel > Web Development Manager > IT Operations Brisbane -+- ABN AMRO Morgans Limited > Level 29, 123 Eagle Street BRISBANE QLD 4000 > PH: 07 333 44 828 FX: 07 3834 0828 > > > To unsubscribe from this email please forward this > email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > If this communication is not intended for you and > you are not an authorised recipient of this email > you are prohibited by law from dealing with or > relying on the email or any file attachments. This > prohibition includes reading, printing, copying, > re-transmitting, disseminating, storing or in any > other way dealing or acting in reliance on the > information. 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