Pony Font request OpenDyslexic

May 7, 2013 6:52 AM

"OpenDyslexic is a new open sourced font created to increase readability for readers with dyslexia. The typeface includes regular, bold, italic, and bold-italic styles. It is being updated continually and improved based on input from dyslexic users. There are no restrictions on using OpenDyslexic outside of attribution."

I have tried to set opendyslexic.org as my default font for metafilter on both my iPad (running latest version of iOS6) and my iMac (running latest OSx), and it didn't work for either device.

Unless I am doing something wrong, it would seem that metafilter does not currently support opendyslexic.org, and I was wondering is it possible that opendyslexic.org could be supported as a font choice?

I have no idea how difficult this would be to implement, but thought the best way to find out would be the ask.

Also if it IS already supported and I am just doing something wrong in order to use it, then please explain how I (or anyone else who wants to) might easily use it on the site.

posted by Faintdreams to Feature Requests at 6:52 AM (96 comments total)

Oh hey this is cool. If nothing else, thanks for pointing this out to me.
posted by Think_Long at 6:56 AM on May 7, 2013

I don't know about Metafilter, but I'm going to try this font with my son. Thank you.
posted by double block and bleed at 6:58 AM on May 7, 2013

I think you need to install the font on your side.

To test it I just downloaded and installed the font from your link and set the body font to "OpenDyslexic" (without quotation marks) in my profile. Title and byline should also work if you want to use the font there as well. It works fine for me, but not all text will be rendered in the custom font, I think the top navigation bar etc. don't support them. It should work however for posts and comments.

Can you try this and see if it works for you?
posted by goodnewsfortheinsane (staff) at 7:08 AM on May 7, 2013

Faintdreams: my iPad (running latest version of iOS6)

It's not going to work on an iOS device, unless you have jailbroken it and installed the font that way.
posted by Rock Steady at 7:09 AM on May 7, 2013 [2 favorites]

Here are good instructions for installing fonts on your Mac, if that is an issue.
posted by Rock Steady at 7:11 AM on May 7, 2013

Oh yes what Rock Steady said, the above will work on PC/Mac but not on iOS.
posted by goodnewsfortheinsane (staff) at 7:11 AM on May 7, 2013

What a neat resource, I hadn't known about this. But yes gnfti is right, without jailbreaking your ipad there isn't a way to do any custom font installations there. Here's a short forum discussion about how you could alter your fonts if you did decide to jailbreak. This should work fine on a desktop machine.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 7:11 AM on May 7, 2013 [1 favorite]

goodnewsfortheinsane I just installed the fonton my Desktop, and changed my Metafilter preferences and the new font displays fine.

Thanks

Jessamyn - thanks for that link I am not going to jailbreak my iPad until the OS can no longer be updated (I"m guessing that will be iOS 7).

Thanks everyone. :)
posted by Faintdreams at 7:17 AM on May 7, 2013

Yay! Good to hear it worked.

For posterity, here's a list of fonts that do work on iOS.
posted by goodnewsfortheinsane (staff) at 7:18 AM on May 7, 2013 [3 favorites]

I am NOT knocking dyslexia with this comment, but I have to say that font is ugly and gives me a headache trying to parse. It seems fainter on the top with added weight as you go down the character. This gives me the feeling as though a gradient has been applied to the font. I felt like I needed to go to the eye doctor.

Again, if this is of value to dyslexics...great. I find the idea behind it fascinating. Accessibility has always been an interest of mine and I love enabling assistive features for people or implementing them for my sites.

But man, is it ugly. And I am not a font geek either. I generally think a person should get by with three fonts. Header, body, and a mono-space font.
posted by cjorgensen at 7:31 AM on May 7, 2013 [3 favorites]

It seems fainter on the top with added weight as you go down the character.

Well, yeah. That's kinda the point. From the 'about':

Letters have heavy weighted bottoms to indicate direction. You are able to quickly figure out which part of the letter is down which aids in recognizing the correct letter, and sometimes helps to keep your brain from rotating them around. Consistently weighted bottoms can also help reinforce the line of text. The unique shapes of each letter can help prevent confusion through flipping and swapping.
posted by Think_Long at 7:35 AM on May 7, 2013 [11 favorites]

I am not a font geek but I find this font lovely for my eyes. I am dyslectic tho. So weird if this works.
posted by Potomac Avenue at 7:38 AM on May 7, 2013 [3 favorites]

That's fascinating. Thanks for letting us know about it!
posted by zarq at 7:43 AM on May 7, 2013

Oh, hey, the latest Kobo Glo firmware has this as a default font option. Neat.
posted by Lorin at 7:58 AM on May 7, 2013 [4 favorites]

I also find it very hard to read because of the gradient effect cjorgensen mentions. But I am not dyslexic and if it helps those who are.. more power to them!
posted by royalsong at 8:01 AM on May 7, 2013

For users who can't install fonts on their devices, could MetaFilter maybe @font-face OpenDyslexic so people could choose it even without having downloaded the font? It's a little bit of extra work, but depending on how much more accessible this font makes the site for dyslexic readers it could well be worth it.
posted by Rory Marinich at 8:02 AM on May 7, 2013 [3 favorites]

For users who can't install fonts on their devices, could MetaFilter maybe @font-face OpenDyslexic so people could choose it even without having downloaded the font?

That's a pb-level question. Is that a sort of thing that's doable?
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 8:03 AM on May 7, 2013 [1 favorite]

It is doable. You can embed fonts on websites and in ePiubs (even on iOS). The main issue with doing it on a site like metafilter is you would have to create a new stylesheet that could be selected (like professional white background). All modern browsers would support it. It's a headache, but it's becoming a lot more common. It totally beats any of the previous methods of embedding fonts (swf fonts or images).
posted by cjorgensen at 8:11 AM on May 7, 2013 [1 favorite]

Also: When I say it's doable I have no idea how much work it would require. I hate when people tell me how easy something in my job is, so wouldn't do it to others.
posted by cjorgensen at 8:12 AM on May 7, 2013 [1 favorite]

There's a page on Github about using it as a web font, by hosting the ttf file and a bit of CSS. It looks like they tried to add it to Google Web Fonts a few months ago, without success or an indication of why it didn't work.
posted by Pronoiac at 8:14 AM on May 7, 2013

@font-face is very easy to get working. You upload the font-file to a directory somewhere, usually in a few different formats so different operating systems can use it, then you add a few lines of CSS that says, in effect, "when we use THIS font name, load THIS file." Then the font loads along with the web page and renders naturally!

It's terrific and has made the web a way prettier place, and its only downside is the formation of the snobby elitist class of users who can afford to font-face fonts by Hoefler Frere-Jones. Jason Kottke, you'll be first against the wall when the revoluti... I'm sorry, where was I? Yes, font-face is very easy to implement and is a total non-pain in the ass.
posted by Rory Marinich at 8:21 AM on May 7, 2013 [5 favorites]

If you do decide to add it to MeFi as an optional embedded font, here's the page that takes the pain away when it comes to multiple formats, CSS syntax, etc.
posted by malevolent at 8:26 AM on May 7, 2013 [1 favorite]

Jason Kottke, you'll be first against the wall when the revoluti...

He's a member and a friend. It's easier to try to kick these ideas upstairs when you don't do this.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 8:33 AM on May 7, 2013 [7 favorites]

There is/was some legal action against OpenDyslexic by someone who did a similar font. Blog posting by OpenDyslexic creator. That might explain why it hasn't turned up in Google Web Fonts (or it might not: that's complete supposition on my part.)


Good article on fonts for people with dyslexia.

Users sometimes find these freely-available fonts more readable:

Comic Sans (yes, they do, get over it.)

Lexia Readable

Delicious

Personally I'm with "whatever helps you read", but the science is unclear. I think Cyril Burt's comments here are useful (from Burt, 1959, "A psychological study of typography"):

Certain readers, for example, reported that they found 12-point type more legible than 10-point, others that they found 9-point type quite as legible as 10-point type, when their actual performances demonstrated beyond question that they were wholly mistaken. Often they ascribed to the design of the type effects that were really due to the size of the type or to the leading. ... Nearly all tended to read with greater facility the kind of types that they preferred, and were inclined to confuse intrinsic legibility with their private aesthetic preferences. As we have seen, preference depends largely upon custom and throughout it seemed evident that almost everyone reads most easily matter set up in the style and size to which he has become habituated.

What people like and what they are best at reading are not necessarily the same. Whatever makes people comfortable reading is good. Comic Sans (and OpenDyslexic) support would be helpful to many people.

(Disclaimer: my field of work.)

posted by alasdair at 8:37 AM on May 7, 2013 [9 favorites]

That's a pb-level question. Is that a sort of thing that's doable?

We don't currently do any font embedding here. So it's not just a matter of, say, adding it to a list of available fonts. We'd need to create a new system for offering and letting users select embeddable fonts. It's not impossible, but it's not something we've had on our radar before. We'll need to give it some thought and discuss it.
posted by pb (staff) at 8:42 AM on May 7, 2013

Man, Chrome on Windows still does a terrible job rendering webfonts.

I can't tell if this font is more readable or not, because the anti-aliasing is so bad that any readability gains are completely wiped out. It's the typographic equivalent of nails on a chalkboard.
posted by schmod at 8:42 AM on May 7, 2013 [2 favorites]

Sorry! I meant my comment about Kottke as light banter; I know he's one of the first MeFites and all. The font he uses for his site is gorgeous, and I wish I could dish out many hundreds of dollars for a webfont. No genuine revolution intended.

He is also a very competent blogger.
posted by Rory Marinich at 8:50 AM on May 7, 2013 [3 favorites]

I heard his hair is insured for $10,000.
posted by elizardbits at 9:07 AM on May 7, 2013 [7 favorites]

Rory, I'm pretty sure the HF&J folks approached Jason and provide the fonts for free. So it's not really a snobby expensive endeavor.
posted by mathowie (staff) at 9:12 AM on May 7, 2013 [2 favorites]

pb: "We don't currently do any font embedding here."

This thing, for this purpose, would be a great thing to implement. I know it'd be effortful and all, but please do give it thoughtful consideration.
posted by boo_radley at 9:13 AM on May 7, 2013 [2 favorites]

I clicked over to Kottke.org and there was a missing, now fixed, emphasis close tag and the whole thing was in italics making discussion about it looking nice totally baffling.
posted by Jahaza at 9:29 AM on May 7, 2013

pb: We'd need to create a new system for offering and letting users select embeddable fonts

would you though? with a @font-face declaration at the top of a css file, the font-name can then be used elsewhere in the css file same as any others

That said, it would be necessary to add a reference in the FAQ or on the wiki to indicate which fonts are embedded, and what their names are the CSS file, and there would be an increased support burden on typoed font names and the like.

So maybe that isn't a way you want to go, but for an niche, advanced-user, small-subset feature like this, it may be enough to just add a @font-face declaration.
posted by grandsham at 9:36 AM on May 7, 2013 [1 favorite]

I wouldn't need the OpenDyslexic font but think it would be absolutely fantastic if MetaFilter made that sort of accessibility as simple as changing a preference page parameter. Maybe the effort vs. impact isn't at the right ratio but I'm glad it's even being considered.
posted by Doleful Creature at 9:43 AM on May 7, 2013 [1 favorite]

I won't use this feature, though my son might someday. I hope that if you can increase the accessibility of the site without greatly increasing your workload that you will consider implementing it.

tl;dr: I vote yes.
posted by double block and bleed at 9:58 AM on May 7, 2013

And yes, the font is ugly to my eyes, but I'm not the target demographic.
posted by double block and bleed at 10:00 AM on May 7, 2013

Rory, I'm pretty sure the HF&J folks approached Jason and provide the fonts for free. So it's not really a snobby expensive endeavor.

This isn't the best defense. When someone thinks someone is snobby it's often because they have access to things the rest of us mere mortals only dream of. So they gave him an expensive font face for nothing? That's like those celebrities that get to ride around in Teslas for free. I want to be the guy people give shit to.
posted by cjorgensen at 10:43 AM on May 7, 2013 [2 favorites]

Hey, let's not turn this into who got what fonts from whom at what price. I would appreciate it.
posted by boo_radley at 10:43 AM on May 7, 2013 [3 favorites]

with a @font-face declaration at the top of a css file, the font-name can then be used elsewhere in the css file same as any others

Yes, but to then make it so the user can opt to have it displayed is another bag of chips. If they wanted to use this font in headers and such, great, but you would need to make a loadable stylesheet that could be invoked on a per user basis. Otherwise metafilter has OpenDyslexic as their official font.
posted by cjorgensen at 10:48 AM on May 7, 2013

We just added this as an embedded font. If you set your font face preference to open-dyslexic, the site will recognize that and try to embed the font. This means you can use it on iOS devices and Android. It won't work in older browsers, but it should work in recent versions of the major browsers.
posted by pb (staff) at 10:49 AM on May 7, 2013 [64 favorites]

That is really cool, pb. It isn't the best looking font, to me, but it does seem to be pretty easy to read.
posted by Rock Steady at 10:53 AM on May 7, 2013

Thanks for doing this so speedily pb.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 10:55 AM on May 7, 2013

I'm never going to use this but I have to say pb deserves some major kudos for making this site accessible to more users and so quickly as well.
posted by grouse at 11:02 AM on May 7, 2013 [7 favorites]

We need to find some way to open a tab at pb's favorite watering hole.
posted by carsonb at 11:04 AM on May 7, 2013 [2 favorites]

Thanks everyone. This was a group effort. I was thinking new font preference system which seemed like a big project, but as folks mentioned here (and on the admin list) we could go with this option. We'll just need to make sure we let people know it's an option.
posted by pb (staff) at 11:08 AM on May 7, 2013

We'll just need to make sure we let people know it's an option.

Can this be added to the sidebar, please? :)
posted by zarq at 11:10 AM on May 7, 2013

Can this be added to the sidebar, please?

Done! 20 minutes ago. :)
posted by pb (staff) at 11:11 AM on May 7, 2013 [1 favorite]

Yeah, this is a great example of why people are so loyal to this place.

On preview: zarq's sidebar suggestion gets my vote.
posted by Gygesringtone at 11:11 AM on May 7, 2013 [2 favorites]

Awesome way to try to be inclusive!

Also, I'd just like to applaud Jessamyn's shortening of goodnewsfortheinsane's name to "gnfti" which I now pronounce as "nifty" because it is.
posted by jillithd at 11:13 AM on May 7, 2013 [1 favorite]

Pretty nifty.
posted by aramaic at 11:14 AM on May 7, 2013

I was thinking new font preference system which seemed like a big project, but as folks mentioned here (and on the admin list) we could go with this option. We'll just need to make sure we let people know it's an option.

So was I, but then I didn't realize you already had something in place for users to pick fonts. Way cool, way fast.
posted by cjorgensen at 11:15 AM on May 7, 2013

pb: " Done! 20 minutes ago. :)"

There's only one explanation: pb is a Time Lord.

Metafilter is bigger on the inside.

Thanks!
posted by zarq at 11:21 AM on May 7, 2013 [10 favorites]

I.. I. .. I got my Pony.?

I.. I'm kinda speechless.

Thankyouthankyouthankyou !!


I know this will only effect a small subset of the userbase but as someone who finds the opendyslexic font significantly easier to read, you have my heartfelt thanks.
posted by Faintdreams at 11:21 AM on May 7, 2013 [31 favorites]

Im not certain which is more impressive - that there's a font that's designed to be more readable to people with dyslexia, or that Metafilter reworked its design so members could opt to use it. In less than a day.
posted by Slap*Happy at 11:29 AM on May 7, 2013 [5 favorites]

Not dyslexic but I lost my left field of vision in a stroke a few years back. I frequently have to double-take due to losing my place or my brain filling a gap incorrectly, and it can make reading a chore. It's ugly as sin, but somehow does seem to flow better when I'm reading. I think this may help me with a lot of things, so big thanks (and hugs) to faintdreams for the post and pb for doing what you do.
posted by SpookyFish at 11:40 AM on May 7, 2013

Thanks. Ever since I got kicked in the head by that horse, I NEED this! (seriously)
posted by QueerAngel28 at 11:48 AM on May 7, 2013

pb: "We just added this as an embedded font."

Nice! pb you are the best b
posted by boo_radley at 12:08 PM on May 7, 2013

This is very interesting, and I'm glad I know about this. It will be interesting to follow the development of the font.

My understanding is that the notion that dyslexia as being a disorder characterized by letters appearing out of order or backwards or upside down and such is largely a misnomer and has mostly fallen out of favor as a definition among people working in the field and suffering from related disorders, and for most people with dyslexia, it's not quite so simply visual and results from deeper cognitive issues affecting a variety of phonological, morphological and semantic awareness functions that manifest in any number of ways.

Still, of course, even if this helps a small subset of people with dyslexia, how awesome. I'm going to introduce this to a family member. I'm usually so bitter about technology and such, but things like this, and they way we can integrate them as a community, always makes me feel a little...aw, sheesh, gettin' all sentimental now.
posted by Lutoslawski at 12:36 PM on May 7, 2013 [2 favorites]

Very cool of pb, etc. to implement the font. MeFi continues to be the coolest place on the 'nets.

I like the font although I'm not dyslexic. I have, however, dyscalculia and I wonder if that makes the font more attractive to my eyes.
posted by deborah at 1:03 PM on May 7, 2013

deborah, I too have dyscalculia and not dyslexia, but in my estimation the open font defiantely makes reading long form text easier.
posted by Faintdreams at 1:10 PM on May 7, 2013

Awww, schmoop for all of you. This is an awesome thing to do, and I hope it helps the users who need it.

I'm about the polar opposite of dyslexic, I'll read stuff upside down and backwards, and while I've got no formal diagnosis I fit every single tickbox on the dyscalculia checklist. That said, this font confuses the hell out of my eyes. If I don't focus on it, but skim down the page, it's perfectly legible. If I stop to look at it, I am massively distracted by the bottom-weighted effect. I wonder why... but all I got there is, brains are weird.
posted by cmyk at 2:10 PM on May 7, 2013

Guess I'm not a lurker anymore.

The official word on it, I suppose, re: google web fonts, is here: https://twitter.com/davelab6/status/331882836950937601

There's some licensing issue or some-such that Google doesn't like with Bitstream, so there now exists Eulexia that's been pending for webfonts. But ... there's also been a backlog. :)

Re: Chrome rendering: Chrome uses the Windows XP font rendering one every. Single. Windows. Version. and it's pretty crappy. The otf files in the tagged beta on github actually address this quite a bit, but once the smoothing instructions are removed, it looks like garbage again. Only on chrome. On windows.

Long story short, I pretend to like to write a lot, but I don't necessarily do that... so I'm open to discussing any ambiguity here... Maybe I'll turn my answers into an FAQ of sorts... that is, if you guys are open to such an idea from a MetaFilter n00b. :)

Thanks for the support, kind words, criticisms & awesomeness. :)
posted by abbiecodes at 2:33 PM on May 7, 2013 [14 favorites]

Welcome to Metafilter, abbiecodes. And thanks for designing this awesome font. :)
posted by zarq at 2:36 PM on May 7, 2013

Thanks zarq!
posted by abbiecodes at 2:57 PM on May 7, 2013

Yay, welcome to Metafilter, abbiecodes.
posted by cortex (staff) at 3:02 PM on May 7, 2013

oh my. Abbiecodes - should we ever be in the same geographical location, I owe you several beverages. Perhaps even dinner :)
posted by Faintdreams at 3:23 PM on May 7, 2013 [1 favorite]

Letters have heavy weighted bottoms to indicate direction.

I used to have contacts like that.
posted by maryr at 5:13 PM on May 7, 2013 [1 favorite]

Now I just have spouses.
posted by maryr at 5:13 PM on May 7, 2013 [1 favorite]

With weighted bottoms?
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 5:47 PM on May 7, 2013 [6 favorites]

@Faintdreams: I was in the UK briefly in Dec. right after TEDx. Small world. :P
posted by abbiecodes at 6:32 PM on May 7, 2013

Due to pb's efforts and Faintdream's pony request, one of my good friends has just signed up. Now I'll have to steer her here to introduce herself. Unless she doesn't want it known that she's dyslexic. I don't see why but stuff.
posted by Purposeful Grimace at 7:59 PM on May 7, 2013

I wasn't going to bring it up, jessamyn, but none of us are as young as we used to be, *chuckle*

No, Brandon, not you. No, sweetie, those pants look fine on you. They're a little bit tight but that's the style these days and...

No, honey, no, you don't need to change. You look great! It's a really casual restaurant, no one cares what you wear. Those jeans are FINE! You look --

Fuck. Now we're going to miss our reservation. Thanks, jessamyn. Thanks a bunch.
posted by maryr at 10:28 PM on May 7, 2013 [1 favorite]

maryr: "Fuck. Now we're going to miss our reservation."

well if you'd bothered to stop and ask for directions when you got lost

while on the way to our anniversary dinner



i mean really now
posted by subbes at 11:15 PM on May 7, 2013 [1 favorite]

There's only one explanation: pb is a Time Lord.

He's certainly not a Republic Serial villain, that's for sure.
posted by radwolf76 at 12:00 AM on May 8, 2013 [1 favorite]

It sounds interesting, but I'm wondering whether it actually works. All I have found so far is this:

There has not been a scientific study to support whether OpenDyslexic works. However, a study by the University of Twente into a similar font - Dyslexie - suggested that it did help decrease some specific types reading errors, but did not improve reading speed.

However, the paper acknowledged further research was needed.

and the research on Dyslexie doesn't sound all that thorough:

A student thesis [8] by Renske de Leeuw of the University of Twente found Dyslexie had no effect on reading speed but reduced some reading errors while increasing others. Tests compared text set in Dyslexie with text set in Arial. Sample size was 43 (21 dyslexic readers, 22 'normal' readers) - low in statistical terms. The study's conclusion states that further research needs to be done.

There are other fonts designed to help dyslexics, including but not limited to Gill Dyslexic,[9] Read Regular,[10] Lexia Readable, Sylexiad,[11] and OpenDyslexic,[12]. Only a few, like Dyslexie and Sylexiad[13], have had any study carried out on them (both theses with statistically small sample sizes).

posted by pracowity at 12:02 AM on May 8, 2013

Currently 2 studies being worked on for OpenDyslexic, but I think only one has started. I wasn't told the sample size for it.
posted by abbiecodes at 2:28 AM on May 8, 2013

Done so quickly. pb clearly isn't an Enterprise Developer.
posted by stp123 at 2:32 AM on May 8, 2013

pb and abbiecodes, you both rock. Now if only there was a font for dyslexics like me who rotate letters rather than flip them. m=B you are my bane.
posted by strixus at 2:53 AM on May 8, 2013

Never thought of m=B issues. If you have suggestions for that, I wouldn't mind working it in somehow.
posted by abbiecodes at 3:34 AM on May 8, 2013

Do we have any other embedded fonts on the site?
posted by shakespeherian at 7:29 AM on May 8, 2013

Interesting! I would like to try this on my parents' computer.
posted by koucha at 7:30 AM on May 8, 2013

I have an astigmatism that blurs vertical letters more than horizontal ones. So problem letters are: fhijlt, with honorable mentions to gmnpq. Thankfully its only at distance and I need glasses anyway, so not an issue with the web, but I'm wondering if there's something there to help with the rotation issue. Lowercase m vs. B would be clarified more if the uprights to the m weren't upright. Angle them instead. That's why xy and z are okay for me. There is enough horizontal for me to make sense of them despite the vertical problem.

Just make the lowercase m two upside down v's, or more like the uppercase M but with the bottom cut off. If rotated and next to an upright, the B would have these weird angles on the right, rather than being a regular looking B. Then when rotated, it'd actually look like a berkana rune. I don't think you'll run into m vs. M confusion so long as the height is kept low enough.
posted by jwells at 7:30 AM on May 8, 2013

Do we have any other embedded fonts on the site?

No, this is the only one.
posted by pb (staff) at 7:46 AM on May 8, 2013

Here's me not knowing about the new font pref field and getting weirded out by non-Verdana alternatives.

Having a few embeddable options on hand would probably be nice for tablet/hi-res use, but I'm happy not to encumber pb with too many impossible things before breakfast. It's more of a recreational pony than an accessibility pony.
posted by holgate at 11:48 AM on May 8, 2013

I hear you holgate. There are a few fonts I'd like for myself on the iPad. This was an accessibility issue as you mentioned, so it's a bit different. We don't have any plans to add more embeddable font choices.

You might take a look at iOS fonts and Droid Fonts to see which fonts are installed on your tablet.
posted by pb (staff) at 12:29 PM on May 8, 2013

holgate: Here's me not knowing about the new font pref field and getting weirded out by non-Verdana alternatives.

MeFi user panaceanot recommends Zapfino.
posted by Rock Steady at 1:08 PM on May 8, 2013

Oh hell, and here I was trying to be all cynical.
posted by Annika Cicada at 6:09 PM on May 9, 2013

I have set my font preferences to open-dyslexic but am not seeing any change.

Firefox 20 on Ubuntu Linux. Should be working, no?

What am I doing wrong?
posted by motty at 7:34 PM on May 11, 2013

Firefox only accepts embedded fonts from the same domain as the site and we're hosting the font at our domain for static components. I'll need to look into hosting the font in a different way to have it work with Firefox. In the meantime, you're on a computer where you can install fonts so you might install it locally. That should work until we can get embedding working with Firefox's security policies.
posted by pb (staff) at 8:15 PM on May 11, 2013

ok, it should be working now. I just verified in Firefox 20 on Ubuntu.
posted by pb (staff) at 8:28 PM on May 11, 2013 [1 favorite]

That was quick. Wow. Thank you.

Yes, I can confirm it's working now.
posted by motty at 8:48 AM on May 12, 2013

Speaking of fonts, is there anyway we could get a breakdown of fonts that people have set?
posted by Brent Parker at 6:28 PM on June 1, 2013

The default font Verdana is far and away the most popular choice. The default font for titles is Arial, also the most popular choice there. Here's a list of fonts that people have set where at least 15 other members have set that font:

Body Font: helvetica (417), arial (393), georgia (292), tahoma (156), calibri (128), trebuchet ms (96), lucida grande (87), times new roman (85), helvetica neue (53), garamond (40), segoe ui (40), times (31), comic sans (28), optima (27), trebuchet (25), sans-serif (24), futura (21), veranda (21), gill sans (20), cambria (20), courier (17), bitstream vera sans (16), palatino (16), comic sans ms (16)

Byline Font: helvetica (387), arial (370), georgia (192), tahoma (156), calibri (113), lucida grande (81), trebuchet ms (71), times new roman (60), helvetica neue (53), segoe ui (32), times (28), garamond (27), sans-serif (26), geneva (20), futura (20), trebuchet (19), optima (18), gill sans (18), courier (18), comic sans (18), courier new (18), cambria (17)

Title Font: verdana (1685), helvetica (77), georgia (47), verdana bold (28), calibri (25), helvetica neue (19)

This is gathered from 58,615 active accounts.
posted by pb (staff) at 8:18 AM on June 3, 2013 [3 favorites]

That is a lot of Comic Sans.

How do people live with themselves?
posted by shakespeherian at 8:19 AM on June 3, 2013 [1 favorite]

In an easy-breezy, fun-for-fun's-sake way that says "hey, buddy, why so serious, let's go ride a roller coaster to Ice Cream Mountain" but also gets their resumes binned immediately.
posted by cortex (staff) at 8:41 AM on June 3, 2013

I think if you try it, you'll like Century Gothic titles, people. Goes nicely with helvetica neue.
posted by Rock Steady at 8:42 AM on June 3, 2013

Yeah, surprisingly few Helvetica Neue folks. I think it looks quite sweet on iOS.
posted by goodnewsfortheinsane (staff) at 1:08 AM on June 4, 2013