...making Linux just a little more fun!
[ In reference to "Mailbag" in LG#151 ]
Benno Schulenberg [bensberg at justemail.net]
[[[ In re: 'lang="utf-8" makes Firefox use an ugly font' from LG#151 -- Kat ]]]
Hmm, not very nice of you to not CC me on the continued discussion.
Benno Schulenberg wrote:
> However, I'd still like to suggest you replace "utf-8" in the > 'lang' attributes with "en", because utf-8 is not a language, and > the language the Linux Gazette pages are written in is English.
As Kapil Hari Paranjape said, my main point was that "utf-8" is not a language name. But unlike Kapil says, lang is a _language code; it has nothing to do with the encoding.
https://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/struct/dirlang.html lang = language-code [CI] This attribute specifies the base_language of an element's attribute values and text content. Language information specified via the lang attribute may be used by a user agent to control rendering in a variety of ways.
The base language of the Linux Gazette looks to be English. So use "en". If you want to be perfect, mark any snippets in other languages with the appropriate lang attribute.
https://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml2/mod-i18n.html
Benno
Ben Okopnik [ben at linuxgazette.net]
On Fri, Jun 13, 2008 at 03:06:33PM +0200, Benno Schulenberg wrote:
> > Hmm, not very nice of you to not CC me on the continued discussion.
I'm not sure who that "you" refers to, but - I did. Perhaps someone else accidentally dropped the CC when following up, but assuming unkindness where the reason is most likely a simple error is unwarranted. It also implies that any errors that you make (such as this one) should be taken as intentional unpleantness, and responded to in that manner.
You may want to reconsider that approach in the future. Meanwhile, I'll respond in the same spirit.
> Benno Schulenberg wrote: > > However, I'd still like to suggest you replace "utf-8" in the > > 'lang' attributes with "en", because utf-8 is not a language, and > > the language the Linux Gazette pages are written in is English. > > As Kapil Hari Paranjape said, my main point was that "utf-8" is not > a language name.
Erm, no. Your main point, as expressed in your original email, was that LG's setting of 'lang="utf-8"' somehow "made" your Firefox use an ugly font. The actual problem appeared to be that your Firefox settings - and perhaps your lack of a decent Unicode font - made your display ugly. Kapil pointed out an error (or perhaps a misunderstanding) in your statements; it's nice to hear that you agree with his explanation, but claiming that it was your "main point" is just a little misleading.
> The base language of the Linux Gazette looks to be English. So > use "en".
Good luck with that imperative attitude that you seem to have developed; I understand that treatment has recently become available, and is mostly successful.
> If you want to be perfect, mark any snippets in other > languages with the appropriate lang attribute.
I leave chasing after perfection to fools who think that such a thing exists. I'm always glad to take useful input on how LG can be made better - but pet peeves don't interest me at all, and demands don't impress me in the least.
-- * Ben Okopnik * Editor-in-Chief, Linux Gazette * https://LinuxGazette.NET *
René Pfeiffer [lynx at luchs.at]
Hello!
On Jun 13, 2008 at 1653 -0400, Ben Okopnik appeared and said:
> On Fri, Jun 13, 2008 at 03:06:33PM +0200, Benno Schulenberg wrote: > [...] > > Benno Schulenberg wrote: > > > However, I'd still like to suggest you replace "utf-8" in the > > > 'lang' attributes with "en", because utf-8 is not a language, and > > > the language the Linux Gazette pages are written in is English. > >=20 > > As Kapil Hari Paranjape said, my main point was that "utf-8" is not=20 > > a language name. =20
Nevertheless the line "Content-Type: text/plain; charset=3Dutf-8" works fairly well in mail clients regardless of the language the email was written in. This is one of the big advantages of Unicode.
> Erm, no. Your main point, as expressed in your original email, was that > LG's setting of 'lang=3D"utf-8"' somehow "made" your Firefox use an ugly > font. The actual problem appeared to be that your Firefox settings - and > perhaps your lack of a decent Unicode font - made your display ugly. > [...]
I experienced the same "problem" and Ben is right. Some default installations lack suitable fonts. Depending on your system (distribution, display hardware, rendering options, graphic card settings, X server, and all the information we don't know about your particular configuration) you may have to add matching fonts. I tried doing this with my desktop and my laptop, it works fine.
You might also want to try enabling true type font support, this can improve rendering in certain cases.
Best, René.