firefox to look good, configure fonts

[shibainucan]

A small quick fix will greatly improve the look of firefox.

Go to edit>preferences>general>fonts & colors

where it says, serif, select 'Bitstream Vera Serif'
where it says, Sans-serif, select 'Bitsteam Vera Sans
where it says, Monospace, select 'Bitsteam Vers Sans Mono'

To improve Firefox, some people recommend installing the package mscorettfonst. However, this package makes extensive changes to your system. It puts Microsoft fonts everywhere (not just in Firefox). The Bitstream are as good or better and don't mess with your system. Try it. You'll see. You can always reverse the changes if you don't like what you see.

[erikpiper]

Never thought about the fonts- thanks!

[dabear]

Before and after shots?

[erikpiper]

where can I host a 1600/1200 shot without compression?

[dabear]

imageshack.us ?

[Boca]

Here's my FF. I tried to get the largest browser window with most links and options available (only have 2 toolbars)


http://img494.imageshack.us/img494/7533/screenshot8ou.th.png (http://img494.imageshack.us/my.php?image=screenshot8ou.png)

[adam.tropics]

lazy question: which extension are you using for panel settings?

[adam.tropics]

sunday, sorry, I meant TABS !!

[mechanic]

Here's my FF. I tried to get the largest browser window with most links and options available (only have 2 toolbars)


http://img494.imageshack.us/img494/7533/screenshot8ou.th.png (http://img494.imageshack.us/my.php?image=screenshot8ou.png)
That's the 'before' shot right? All blurry - look inside the "o"s and the "a"s. Where's the 'after' shot?

m.

[Boca]

That's the 'before' shot right? All blurry - look inside the "o"s and the "a"s. Where's the 'after' shot?

m.
After shot. just click on the thumb to get 100% resolution.

[mechanic]

I was just joshing with ya! Compare your screenshot with http://cuco.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/desktop/ff.png (posted by someone to uk.comp.os.linux today). See how much sharper the fonts are there? That's what we all should be getting on Ubuntu if they got the software right.

m.

[donar73]

I was just joshing with ya! Compare your screenshot with http://cuco.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/desktop/ff.png (posted by someone to uk.comp.os.linux today). See how much sharper the fonts are there? That's what we all should be getting on Ubuntu if they got the software right.

m.

Just follow this (http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=20976) HowTo and your fonts will look like the ones on your screenshot... ;)

[shibainucan]

Just follow this (http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=20976) HowTo and your fonts will look like the ones on your screenshot... ;)

Follow that HowTo and your fonts will look like the fonts used in Internet Explorer. That is not necessarily a good thing. IE uses Tahoma as default, I believe.

I believe the Bitstream fonts are better than Tahoma.

Let me give a little background. I have a personal web page. BTW (http://www3.sympatico.ca/shiba.inu). When I created the page I didn't specify a specific font type. In order words, the default font of the browser being used will be displayed. If using IE, all the text will be in Tahoma font.

I have suggested changing the default Firefox font to the bitsteam set of fonts. Therefore, the text in my web page will be displayed in Bitstream fonts. IMO, the page looks better in Firefox than IE.

The HowTo I suggested is better than trying to mimic IE. And it takes not even a half minute to change the default font set in Firefox to Bitstream.

[mechanic]

Interesting how the two screenshots at the top of that recent 'How to' donar73 pointed us to show the problem. I've worked through that one before and it did help BUT at the end of the day the shot of the Windows page is clearly cleaner than the shot of the Ubuntu one - the fonts (Particularly the mid size and larger ones) look smudged in the Ubuntu shot and clean in the Windows one. This is after the tuning process!

The only way I've managed to get a clean looking screen with Ubuntu is by following that method THEN carefully choosing fonts that seem to perform best. Although in reconfiguring fontconfig I clicked to optimise MSFT fonts, in many cases they come out worse than Bitstream or other fonts.

Something need sorting out here. This should set itself up - why would we NOT want clear fonts - or be easily tuned from the desktop tools, we users shouldn't have to work through this stuff!

m.

[xyzzyman]

I'm happy with how my firefox looks. First time I've ever finally been able to stay using linux full time.

http://img494.imageshack.us/img494/1855/screenshotbbcnewsnewsfrontpage.th.png (http://img494.imageshack.us/my.php?image=screenshotbbcnewsnewsfrontpage.png)

[shibainucan]

[QUOTE=xyzzyman]I'm happy with how my firefox looks. First time I've ever finally been able to stay using linux full time.

You are using the Microsoft fonts. Know how I know? Look at the small "k" in the words Angela Merkel. I am referring the the first news item in the sample page you have displayed (Germany get first woman chancellor). The "k" is broken.

I had been using Microsoft fonts. But that small "k" was driving me nuts. That is why uninstalled the Microsoft package. Nor did I follow the elaborate "HowTo"

I said it before and I'll say it again. For a good looking Firefox, just adjust the default fonts. Change to the Bitstream set (three places).

ralph

[gord]

I was just joshing with ya! Compare your screenshot with http://cuco.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/desktop/ff.png (posted by someone to uk.comp.os.linux today). See how much sharper the fonts are there? That's what we all should be getting on Ubuntu if they got the software right.

m.

those are just not anti-alised fonts, if you find them blury you can goto System -> preferences -> font and alter (or turn of) the antialiasing to your own preferences, set subpixel smoothing if your on a laptop. increasing your resolution will also help.

[donar73]

[QUOTE=xyzzyman]I'm happy with how my firefox looks. First time I've ever finally been able to stay using linux full time.

You are using the Microsoft fonts. Know how I know? Look at the small "k" in the words Angela Merkel. I am referring the the first news item in the sample page you have displayed (Germany get first woman chancellor). The "k" is broken.

I had been using Microsoft fonts. But that small "k" was driving me nuts. That is why uninstalled the Microsoft package. Nor did I follow the elaborate "HowTo"

I said it before and I'll say it again. For a good looking Firefox, just adjust the default fonts. Change to the Bitstream set (three places).

ralph

The Bitstream-fonts will only look good if they are anti-aliased. But if you are on a CRT-monitor, anti-aliased fonts are a pain in the eyes and the only good looking non-anti-aliased fonts I know are the MS-fonts...

[xyzzyman]

[quote=shibainucan]

The Bitstream-fonts will only look good if they are anti-aliased. But if you are on a CRT-monitor, anti-aliased fonts are a pain in the eyes and the only good looking non-anti-aliased fonts I know are the MS-fonts...
I'm on CRT. So when someone with a CRT looks at a screenshot that's been optimized for LCD, it'll look like crap. And vice-versa. I tried using the bitstream fonts with firefox back when I used gentoo, and they never looked right to me on my CRT's. I'm still not sure what elaborate how-to he's referring to. Whenever I install ubuntu I just set the DPI and copy over the fonts from my windows system.

Maybe it comes down to just personal preference. I have a regular generic TV, but I can't stand the thought of watching tv without using my pioneer receiver and my klipsch f3 speakers for the audio. I go to friends houses who have widescreen DLP's, and I am annoyed by the crap audio.

**EDIT**
Looking at it now, it appears that I only have that k that looks weird on sites like news.bbc.co.uk, that call for Arial before trying to use other fonts. Maybe the kernel'ing has to be set, just like I sometimes see guides for setting the kerneling on tahoma/verdana.

[Paulus]

Something need sorting out here. This should set itself up - why would we NOT want clear fonts - or be easily tuned from the desktop tools, we users shouldn't have to work through this stuff!

m.
hear hear!

This is 200% true, ubuntu should be able to detect whether or not you are using a tft/crt monitor and automatically configure your fonts to look clear and crisp (or give you the option within the installer). It's bad enough xorg defaults to 1024x768 when i have a native res of 1280x1024 with a DVI connected TFT, personally I think fonts and resolution are crucial to what makes a good O.S, we should captitalize and be the best!

[mcduck]

No it shouldn't. How you like your fonts is just matter of taste. OS might know what hardware you have, but it can't tell what you like. I like antialiased fonts much more than those 'crispy clean' jagged fonts on windows. And no, I don't have flat screen. Adding option to choose this during installation would only confuse many people, how can you tell do you like 'windows style' or 'linux style' fonts if you're just doing your first linux install?

The resolution is another thing, for me default was 1280*1024 but I had to switch it lower, 1152*864. Fresh install of windows has 640*480 with 8bit colors and you need to install graphics drivers and then adjust the resolution to get anything better. I think Ubuntu does this better ;)

[mechanic]

Well if you have a CRT rather than a TFT display, the clear-type/hinting behaviour is not an issue, it's only the pixel-precise nature of the TFT that has bought this issue out. And you're a little unfair to MSFT Windows; in XP the resolution after first install is likely to be 800x600 but you get asked if you want to change/raise it and it's then just one or two clicks, no dpkg-reconfigure crap. (I don't really mind the d...-recon... it's just the name of the package/modules I have problems remembering!)

m.

[doclivingston]

This is 200% true, ubuntu should be able to detect whether or not you are using a tft/crt monitor and automatically configure your fonts to look clear and crisp (or give you the option within the installer). It's bad enough xorg defaults to 1024x768 when i have a native res of 1280x1024 with a DVI connected TFT, personally I think fonts and resolution are crucial to what makes a good O.S, we should captitalize and be the best!

I agree that fonts are very important, but the problem is that exactly what is best depends greatly from person to person. If you look at any "how to make your fonts better" thread on the forum, there will be some people saying that whatever is suggested makes it look worse.

Some people like anti-aliased fonts, some don't. Some people like the Microsoft fonts, some don't. Some people prefer high-contrast, some prefer strong-shaping.

This kind of thing doesn't make a good install-time option because:
a) you can install fine without setting it, and change it after,
b) it's a per-user option, so doing it at install time doesn't make sense, and
c) 95% of people won't know what to choose anyway.

[calande]

The first thing I do after an Ubuntu install is ditch the ugly and blurred Bitstream family fonts and install the clear and crispy MS fonts instead with antialiasing off. But Firefox keeps using antialiasing. I followed the Hoary Cleartype tutorial but this didn't work in Firefox. It only worked with other applications :(

[PictureThis]

The first thing I do after an Ubuntu install is ditch the ugly and blurred Bitstream family fonts and install the clear and crispy MS fonts instead with antialiasing off. But Firefox keeps using antialiasing. I followed the Hoary Cleartype tutorial but this didn't work in Firefox. It only worked with other applications :(

That's exactly it. This whole thing seems to be directing to the capability to switch smoothing on/off. In the "System=>Preferences=>Font" section I switch it off and my system fonts look way better now. It's only with applications like Firefox or OpenOffice where I haven't found the right button yet.

http://img152.imageshack.us/img152/3813/screenshot6bh.th.png (http://img152.imageshack.us/my.php?image=screenshot6bh.png)

Look at the system fonts at the top of the screen and at the bottom. They are just right. As for firefox.... [-X

[calande]

That's true...
This drives me nuts, Firefox and OpenOffice.org are the 2 applications that are still antialiased. We need to fix it. Some one has an idea?

[crazygamer]

I second this! Firefox is driving me crazy with anti-aliased fonts :shock:. I have anti-aliasing turned off for everything else and it all looks great. Opera looks nice, but I'd still rather use Firefox. Does anyone know how to get rid of anti-aliasing in Firefox? Thanks!

[tribaal]

Thanks a load for the tips, this really looks better now :)

Cheers :)

- trib'

[calande]

Ok, I finally found a solution. I updated my XML files, please go ahead and follow the original tutorial (http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=208396) again. Now fonts in Firefox are going to look good, just like in Windows :)

Original thread:
http://forums.pcbsd.org/viewtopic.php?p=25646

[Saul_2]

Here is a better solution:

Use Nautilus and enable viewing hidden files: View>Show Hidden Files
On your home rirectoru go to ./Mozilla/Firefox/default/chrome
Open file userChrome.css and add

* {

font-family: "Deja Vu Sans Condensed";

}

at the end.
Restart Firefox