Please use TrueType dialog font insted of bitmap font

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geary
Posts: 3
Joined: Mon Jun 25, 2012 5:14 pm

Please use TrueType dialog font insted of bitmap font

Post by geary »

Zeus appears to use MS Sans Serif or a similar font in its dialogs. This bitmap font is unattractive and hard to read, and it makes the software look old and out of date. Really, very few programs use MS Sans Serif any more.

It should be straightforward to change it to Microsoft Sans Serif, a matching TrueType font. Or you could use Tahoma or the MS Shell Dlg [2] logical font. The result would be much better looking and easier to read dialogs.

Thanks!

edit: The tab titles also use a bitmap font that would look much better as a TrueType font. (They could also use a bit larger font - that really is small!)

Also, I hope my comment about the bitmap font looking "old and out of date" did not come across as snarky or critical - I didn't mean it that way. I'm not suggesting chasing the latest UI trends, but a good TrueType font really is a lot easier to read. Thanks!
jussij
Site Admin
Posts: 2650
Joined: Fri Aug 13, 2004 5:10 pm

Post by jussij »

Zeus appears to use MS Sans Serif or a similar font in its dialogs.
Yes indeed it does. Well spotted ;)

Code: Select all

// From the Dialog Resoure code
FONT 8, "MS Sans Serif", 0, 0, 0x0
This bitmap font is unattractive and hard to read, and it makes the software look old and out of date. Really, very few programs use MS Sans Serif any more.
This a very good point that I had never considered. Thanks.
The tab titles also use a bitmap font that would look much better as a TrueType font. (They could also use a bit larger font - that really is small!)
I'll look at this as well.
Also, I hope my comment about the bitmap font looking "old and out of date" did not come across as snarky or critical - I didn't mean it that way.
No offense taken.

In fact your comments are very accurate. The font details in Zeus would have been added to the dialog resourse many years ago and never change since. So I think it is about time they got updated.

This will be fixed shortly.
I'm not suggesting chasing the latest UI trends
This line did give me a chuckle. I think Zeus has always dressed badly when compared to other trendy applications :)

Thanks again for your feedback.

Cheers Jussi
jussij
Site Admin
Posts: 2650
Joined: Fri Aug 13, 2004 5:10 pm

Post by jussij »

This dialog font issue has been fixed in the latest patch found here: http://www.zeusedit.com/z300/zeus-beta-patch.zip

All the dialogs now use the MS Shell Dlg font.

The file tab control now also uses a true type font.

I still have to look at making the tab control font larger.

Cheers Jussi
geary
Posts: 3
Joined: Mon Jun 25, 2012 5:14 pm

Post by geary »

Thank you! That was fast.

It looks much better now, and easier to read too.

While we're at it, I noticed a couple more bitmap fonts... :-)

* The file type selector in the Drives window

* The document type selector in the Templates window
jussij
Site Admin
Posts: 2650
Joined: Fri Aug 13, 2004 5:10 pm

Post by jussij »

While we're at it, I noticed a couple more bitmap fonts...

Keep them comming :)
* The file type selector in the Drives window
* The document type selector in the Templates window

These will be fixed shortly.

Cheers Jussi
jussij
Site Admin
Posts: 2650
Joined: Fri Aug 13, 2004 5:10 pm

Post by jussij »

These other font issue are now fixed in the latest patch found here: http://www.zeusedit.com/z300/zeus-beta-patch.zip

I also fixed the search drop down combo box found in the toolbar.

Cheers Jussi
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