Proposal: Disable the [font] tag

[TheFluff]

What the thread title says. The other text formatting tags (font weight, italics, lists, indentation, etc etc) are useful and are actually used for legitimate purposes. Even the text color tag has legitimate uses and shouldn't be disabled despite being abused a lot more than it is used reasonably. Not so for the font tag. The ONLY users of the font tag are the incredibly obnoxious individuals who absolutely cannot resist writing all of their posts in bold Comic Sans MS with some annoying color like blue or red. The only thing this results in is making the forum harder and more annoying to read (not that said individuals have anything useful to say anyway, but we could at least try to pretend that there's serious discussion going on).

Alternatively, simply start infracting people who abuse the typography tags. This might be better since disabling features because of abuse is a kind of collective punishment, which is dumb. But on the other hand it means more work for the moderators.

[日本ひきこもり協会]

Wow, I'm glad someone thinks the same as I do. The sole purpose of the forums is conveying the words. The default font, size and its color are completely readable. If people are really that blind they can use neat features of the browser like ctrl^+/-.

Though I'm for completely disabling these features because no one seriously needs them.

[Schneizel]

Why I think that's an un- FABULOUS idea, Fluff. There's nothing wrong with the current system.

At all.

[Aoie_Emesai]

Just because you find it useless, doesn't mean the next person does. Personally, I don't use the font much at all, but I wouldn't want it to go away.

[KholdStare]

There has been one or two posts (maybe) that I found annoying because of the font, but no one I know uses that font extensively or exclusively. I also think that Comic Sans MS is a great font.

[felix]

Using a alternative font on the entire post should be a bannable offense.
(actually any cute custom formating applyed to the entire post)

Regarding using it only in some parts of the post...
Writing 100 line posts, guides, indexes etc I've yet to see a case where they could be used in a practical way.
Actually the only two cases where they aren't annoying is when used is headers or highlighting code (e.g. Courier New).

If there is a need for them outside of signatures by all means speak up, right now it would help a lot of us if they just went away.
Defending them "just because" there might be something/someone is stupid. It's like defending guns and murder.


If it's unreasonable to disable it permanetly then how about disabling it (as well as colors and text-alignment) for users that have under something like 500 ~ 1000 posts. Just so everyone learns to write posts the proper way before exprimenting with these annoying practices.

[TheFluff]

Originally Posted by KholdStare

no one I know uses that font extensively or exclusively.

http://forums.animesuki.com/search.p...nduser&u=57635 - posts exclusively in bold colored comic sans ms (also likes to capitalize the first letter in almost every word)
http://forums.animesuki.com/search.p...nduser&u=79622 - lots of posts in arial narrow
http://forums.animesuki.com/search.p...nduser&u=42671 - lots of posts in courier new
http://forums.animesuki.com/search.p...nduser&u=48675 - posts exclusively in century gothic

there are lots of examples, this is just what I found with a quick browsing

Originally Posted by KholdStare

I also think that Comic Sans MS is a great font.

die

Originally Posted by Cats

Using a alternative font on the entire post should be a bannable offense.
(actually any cute custom formating applyed to the entire post)

yes, this, a thousand times this

[Daniel E.]

Well, I dont mind the different fonts all that much....

Though, If people were to stop using certain colors, the forum would be a better place all around...... me thinks.

Then again, all the colors are probably part of the same package and cannot be removed individually.

[The Chaos]

Originally Posted by TheFluff

http://forums.animesuki.com/search.p...nduser&u=57635 - posts exclusively in bold colored comic sans ms (also likes to capitalize the first letter in almost every word)

Yes ..that me ...I Love Using Comic Sans MS Fonts with Blue Color ...I Didn't Think That Problem to any one ..But I enjoy doing that

[AceD]

am considering this, all the time!

though really, i dont see a problem with people using any font/color they want...

[Reckoner]

I think different fonts can make a post prettier and easier on the eyes. Yes it can be abused, but you are not forced to read their posts are you?

[creamyhorror]

Comic Sans MS is a pox upon humanity. Ban Comic Sans, Achewood says so too. Abuse of font colors is horrible as well, especially when the poster doesn't even have the sense to avoid unreadable colors like fuchsia or yellow.

[jpwong]

I don't think fuchia is that terrible, maybe if it were the whole post, but it certainly seems legible on the current background (unlike yellow).

Really though, I generally skip any posts I consider "unreadable". If they want to make a point or discussion, I'm more than happy to read it provided it's in a legible font and a decent colour.

I don't think we need to remove this though. Unless the problem is so widespread that it's become unmanageable, I can't really support feature removal.

[Solace]

There's enough ignore options and restrictions on this board. We don't need more, and we don't need it to be a bannable offense. If it's really bad (like a poster using a completely unreadable color like yellow and they are using it to post "normally"), then just report it. Otherwise, just ignore it and move on to posts you feel are more relevant to read/respond to.

[KholdStare]

Originally Posted by TheFluff

http://forums.animesuki.com/search.p...nduser&u=57635 - posts exclusively in bold colored comic sans ms (also likes to capitalize the first letter in almost every word)
http://forums.animesuki.com/search.p...nduser&u=79622 - lots of posts in arial narrow
http://forums.animesuki.com/search.p...nduser&u=42671 - lots of posts in courier new
http://forums.animesuki.com/search.p...nduser&u=48675 - posts exclusively in century gothic

I should restate what I said: I haven't seen anyone using a font that I think is annoying or disruptive to the thread exclusively. None of the examples above are bad in any way; Courier New and Century Gothic are both good fonts. What is actually annoying is taking any font and adding stupid colors like yellow, cyan, and green to them on an almost white background. If you have a problem with The Chaos' font and color then you have a problem with me. What I do have a problem with is him capitalizing every other word in his last post.

[LiberLibri]

Why not employing customised stylesheet to protect your eyes? Add the following statement to the userContent.css (in the case you use Firefox), and both you and "abusers" will be happy.

div.alt1 font {
font-family: Sans-Serif !important;
font-size: 100% !important;
color: inherit !important;
}

[felix]

Originally Posted by Voracious Hollow

though really, i dont see a problem with people using any font/color they want...

Originally Posted by Reckoner

Yes it can be abused, but you are not forced to read their posts are you?

Originally Posted by jpwong

I don't think fuchia is that terrible, maybe if it were the whole post, but it certainly seems legible on the current background (unlike yellow).

Really though, I generally skip any posts I consider "unreadable". If they want to make a point or discussion, I'm more than happy to read it provided it's in a legible font and a decent colour.

Originally Posted by Solace

There's enough ignore options and restrictions on this board. [...] Otherwise, just ignore it and move on to posts you feel are more relevant to read/respond to.

Originally Posted by KholdStare

I haven't seen anyone using a font that I think is annoying or disruptive to the thread exclusively.

I think you all miss TheFluff's point! This is not about anyone liking or disliking or anything like that.

This is a forum not a myspace host. I'm all for everyone's post being somewhat personalised and no rigid standard applied to how you write or use fonts and colors for that matter (and I'm sure Fluff isn't all that concerned about it either). But the line needs to be drawn at some point. The problem with these overly colourful posts is they're hard to read if not unreadable, and that constitutes (at least in my mind) a violation of one of the base principles of a forum: no matter if I agree/dissagree like it or not I should be able to fukin' read it! with outh resorting to 3rd party mesures. Honestly I can't attempt any of the color posts here (except The Chaos's post) with outh marking over the text to get rid of the color (this is sometimes not so trivial as it sounds) then I'm faced with the idiot task of takling the new glyphs I'm presented with or things like idotic bold text (I've seen far worse though). It makes reading posts a damn waste of my time. In some cases reading l33t sp3@|< would be easier.

Originally Posted by LiberLibri

Why not employing customised stylesheet to protect your eyes? Add the following statement to the userContent.css (in the case you use Firefox), and both you and "abusers" will be happy.

If I started writing post in my native language would you have to install a translation plugin in firefox? I've actually mentioned it before you. (ninja profile message ) There's a simple answer to this sort of proposal: Why should all of us have to change for the one poster? If he likes those settings so much can't he do what you just said? I'm sure they all find our posts hard to read because they're not "pretty" or bold or colored red or blue. /sarcasm

You also have to understand that if we apply it then we are disabling the feature for us, but if they apply it there's no disabling of anything just a change to their preferences.

[LiberLibri]

At first I suppose we have to share the starting point: every expression, however silly the content or format is, is worth being protected and respected unless it violates seriously other's interest. I personally dislike font-performance, but it is fact that certain number of people love it, and those who hate it are given the means enough to keep their taste. I believe "it should be banned for everyone because I hate it"-type of speeches cannot be justified in a democratic society.

Originally Posted by Cats

If I started writing post in my native language would you have to install a translation plugin in firefox?

Computer scientists have never succeeded to develop a perfect translation system. It is rational to limit the communication language as one (whichever Japanese, Russian or Esperanto -- the founders of the forum are English speakers so they provided it be English).

Originally Posted by Cats

There's a simple answer to this sort of proposal: Why should all of us have to change for the one poster? If he likes those settings so much can't he do what you just said?

You shifted the premise. It is NOT all of us that should change the setting. It is those who hate font art so much that they don't accept it to come into their view. As told, I don't like such colouring play but I can tolerate others enjoying it, at least for now. When it gets so excessive that it makes my eyes smart then I will change the userStyle.

[The Small One]

Originally Posted by LiberLibri

I believe "it should be banned for everyone because I hate it"-type of speeches cannot be justified in a democratic society.

But this forum isn't democratic at all. It belongs to the owner of the site and he makes the rules.
So the question is not "can we reach an agreement on this matter", but "who has the best argument, to convince the mods". Since they didn't disbaled this functioality in the past, they probably just don't care.

[felix]

@ LiberLibri

Like I said earlier "you all miss TheFluff's point", it's not (as you put it:) "it should be banned for everyone because I hate it", even though we* do hate it the problem here is this font art (as you called it) is little more then a form of spam. It serves no purpose and degrades the medium of comunication. It's like l33t speak, the posters try to act cool instead of actually doing anything constructive with it.

A forum is a forum not a damn democracy. It's not like we are suppose to be a curch of good will or anything. I also don't recall animesuki being praised as a community that makes everybody happy. How many people joined because the community is more serious and doesn't just take in all the crap.

* by "we", "us" I'm refering to TheFluff, me etc not the hole forum.