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WANTED - unicode sans font with differentiated Il1 & 0O

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Snowfield

Age: 62
Total Posts: 4
Points: 10

Location:
Grimsby, United Kingdom
Topic on Dec 18, 2012 05:12 PM
I've been trying to find a font that has no problems for my simple purpose. I'm the designer of a specialist programming language that uses special symbols (available in unicode fonts). Some unicode fonts have inconsistent symbols sizes eg ??????? in Tahoma and Verdana, though others like Lucida (nicest) and DejaVu sans have symbols that are consistent in size an style. But these fonts render vertical line, capital I and small L identically which is unacceptable in a programming language where a single wrong character can cause a bug that is very difficult to trace. Capital O and zero also need to be obviously different. Those fonts that deliberately differentiate between these characters, eg MS Reference Sans Serif don't support the specialist unicode symbols!

If anyone knows of an ideal unicode sans font, please let me know.

Alternatively, a font designer might want to deliberately create a font that is perfect? Perhaps by combining two open source fonts?
Connor - SpecialistProgLang @ TackleAnything . co . uk

Snowfield says
Reply on Dec 18, 2012 05:36 PM
Note. For differentiation, the vertical line (separation character) should be the only character in the font that is represented as a vertical line. Lower case L should have a small bend to the right at the bottom of the stalk. Upper case i should have cross bars at top and bottom. Digit one should have a small angled bar at the top of the stalk on the left hand side.

The zero character can be narrower than the O, but not have a dot or line though it (to avoid it resembling other symbols).

Thanks for your help :-)

audiopimp says
Reply on Dec 18, 2012 05:45 PM
I'd be surprised if you get an answer on this site.
You may want to join the Typophile forum, they are a lot more technical minded.
Ocean says
Reply on Dec 18, 2012 08:17 PM
Pragmata http://www.myfonts.com/fonts/fsd/pragmata/

But I am very happy coding with droid sans mono !
I have also used Dejavu sans mono (huge language support)

Finally, inconsulata
http://www.levien.com/type/myfonts/inconsolata.html

scinizm says
Reply on Dec 18, 2012 09:16 PM
Anonymous Pro
Ocean says
Reply on Dec 18, 2012 10:26 PM

Thanks for Anonymous, looks good !

also
http://www.lowing.org/fonts/

Snowfield says
Reply on Dec 19, 2012 05:14 AM
Thanks guys, but I don't need a mono spaced font (technology has improved). Two of the above fonts don't have the necessary unicode symbols. Anonymous Pro has ugly unicode symbols (I have no idea how a font designer manages to create a set of arrows that have different weights and arrow head designs - but some manage it!).
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e.g. help, think, fair enough

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