XS: [Fwd: CSS enhancement proposal]

Subject: XS: [Fwd: CSS enhancement proposal]
From: Paul Prescod <papresco@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Sun, 15 Jun 1997 03:19:33 -0400
Since XS will likely have font fallbacks as CSS does, we should consider
this idea from Todd Fahrner, reposted from the www-style mailing list.

Todd Fahrner wrote:
> 
> Typefaces and type sizes are now specified independently in CSS. More
> precisely, there is a mechanism to suggest alternate typefaces, but
> not to bind alternate type sizes and line-heights to the alternate
> typefaces. This is not especially useful, as typefaces have highly
> irregular metrics and suitability for screen display at a given size.
> It would be far better to specify typefaces, type sizes, and
> line-heights (and possibly also letterspacing) together, and let
> these cascade/degrade as groups.
> 
> Consider this case:
> 
>         font: 9pt/15pt Verdana, "Gill Sans," sans-serif;
> 
> This will result in a very legible Verdana (unless it's a Mac), a
> wretched, overleaded Gill Sans, or an imponderably rendered default
> sans. This would be much better:
> 
>         font: 9pt/15pt Verdana, 12pt/14pt "Gill Sans," 1em/1.2em sans-serif;
> 
> This facility will become more important once embedded type comes
> into wider use - authors will sometimes want to suggest (and provide)
> highly idiosyncratic typefaces, whose size and leading are not
> suitable for second- or third-choice alternates.
> 
> ________________________________________
> Todd Fahrner
> mailto:fahrner@xxxxxxxxx
> http://www.verso.com/
> 
> The printed page transcends space and time. The printed page, the
> infinitude of books, must be transcended. THE ELECTRO-LIBRARY.
> 
> --El Lissitzky, 1923

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