« previous next »
Pages: [1]   Go Down

Author Topic: Possible Fix On The Way!  (Read 3117 times)

Offline Bruce_F

  • TS Addict
  • *****
  • Posts: 1432
    • View Profile
Possible Fix On The Way!
« on: October 28, 2003, 02:36:27 AM »
For the past day, I have been making an effort to find some way to get feedback to the Safari developers. Today, it happened!

Why, you ask?

When you have your monitor resolution set very high like the Apple Cinema Displays are, by default, it's nearly impossible to read the fine print on some web sites.

In Jaguar and Safari 1.0, one could use Safari Enhancer to set a minimum font size. In Safari v1.1, developers decided to change things in so the minimum font size could not be manipulated.

So, with the help of the person who wrote Safari Enhancer, it appears we convinced one of the Safari developers to fix it so the user can decide whether to set the minimum size or not! clap.gif
Logged
-Bruce-

Offline pendragon

  • TS Addict
  • *****
  • Posts: 7178
    • View Profile
    • http://www.pendragonservices.com
Possible Fix On The Way!
« Reply #1 on: October 28, 2003, 04:24:06 AM »
Waydago Bruce!! clap.gif

Amongst other things, the latest version of TinkerTool (v3.01) accommodates the setting of minimum font size in Safari and is Panther compliant. What a relief for mature eyes. wink.gif
Logged
Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. ~ Voltaire

Offline Bruce_F

  • TS Addict
  • *****
  • Posts: 1432
    • View Profile
Possible Fix On The Way!
« Reply #2 on: October 28, 2003, 10:55:38 AM »
Thanks for the TinkerTool tip, Harv!

I didn't know it existed. Maybe I'll use it until the Safari fix is out.
Logged
-Bruce-

Offline Bruce_F

  • TS Addict
  • *****
  • Posts: 1432
    • View Profile
Possible Fix On The Way!
« Reply #3 on: October 28, 2003, 11:09:59 AM »
Well, TinkerTool doesn't work here. I can see that Safari starts opening a page with what appears as larger type. Then in the blink of an eye, the page reverts to the default.

Oh well, I'll just wait.
Logged
-Bruce-

Offline gmann

  • TS Addict
  • *****
  • Posts: 649
    • View Profile
    • http://
Possible Fix On The Way!
« Reply #4 on: October 28, 2003, 11:37:40 AM »
I have found the same results with TT as Bruce. Safari Enhancer nada. Thank God for Camino. smile.gif
Logged
Gary M
933 Mhz, 10.4.7, 1.25 Gig ram
2 Ghz, XP Pro, 2 Gig ram

Offline Xairbusdriver

  • Administrator
  • TS Addict
  • *****
  • Posts: 26388
  • 27" iMac (mid-17), Big Sur, Mac mini, Catalina
    • View Profile
    • Mid-South Weather
Possible Fix On The Way!
« Reply #5 on: October 29, 2003, 02:48:02 PM »
I was unpleasantly surprised to see the limited control of font sizing in Safari a couple of weeks ago at a MUG meeting. Don't have any idea which version it was or even the OS version. Haven't seen any other OS X browsers, but I also haven't seen any that beat the way IE 5 (OS 9) handles this function. Much better than on a PC, also. Too bad browser developers aren't getting the clue that users want control of things like this! And that means more than THREE choices! It's bad enough when site developers set fonts with pixel sizes, but it sure is stupid to make a browser that won't allow changes in this area when the site developer planned for it!

Jim C. (now so much feeling better after releasing all that negative energy! Devilish2.gif  blush-anim-cl.gif )
Logged
THERE ARE TWO TYPES OF COUNTRIES
Those that use metric = #1 Measurement system
And the United States = The Banana system
CAUTION! Childhood vaccinations cause adults! :yes:

Offline bobw

  • TS Addict
  • *****
  • Posts: 611
    • View Profile
    • http://
Possible Fix On The Way!
« Reply #6 on: October 29, 2003, 04:52:22 PM »
Try SafariFont 1.0

Product Description:
SafariFont aims to fix one of the biggest complaints with the version of Safari included in Mac OS X Panther - font sizes that are too small or big.
Using SafariFont you can easily change Safari's minimum font size to 8, 10, 12, 14, or 16 points. Safari's default font size of 12 can easily be restored simply by selecting this option from within the program.
While this program was designed for the version of Safari included with Panther, it should also work within Jaguar.
« Last Edit: October 29, 2003, 04:53:50 PM by bobw »
Logged

Offline Bruce_F

  • TS Addict
  • *****
  • Posts: 1432
    • View Profile
Possible Fix On The Way!
« Reply #7 on: October 29, 2003, 05:29:11 PM »
Thanks for the link, Bob!

Unfortunately, SafariFont doesn't work for me. I ran the script that is provided twice, just to make sure. It didn't make any difference in the font size on my computer.
Logged
-Bruce-

Offline gmann

  • TS Addict
  • *****
  • Posts: 649
    • View Profile
    • http://
Possible Fix On The Way!
« Reply #8 on: October 29, 2003, 07:03:45 PM »
Yep! my experience mirrors Bruce's. After trying three different scripts, I guess we will just have to wait and see what Apple is going to do. whistling.gif
Logged
Gary M
933 Mhz, 10.4.7, 1.25 Gig ram
2 Ghz, XP Pro, 2 Gig ram

Offline Bruce_F

  • TS Addict
  • *****
  • Posts: 1432
    • View Profile
Possible Fix On The Way!
« Reply #9 on: October 29, 2003, 08:20:51 PM »
The following is a statement from one of the Safari developers. I helps to explain why Safari 1.1 does not allow any haxies to work.


QUOTE
The problem with minimum font size is that there is really a need for two features:

(1) An implicit minimum size that can be applied automatically by the Web browser in situations where layout won't be disrupted.

(2) Support for a true minimum font size that is applied by the user to all fonts as an override, and that will disrupt page layout potentially (but the tradeoff is obviously worth it for users with vision problems).

Jaguar supported (2) but not (1). I then changed the meaning of minimum font size in Panther to mean (1) and not (2). It seems obvious now that both features are valuable, and that at the very least support for a separate minimum font size preference is worthwhile.

I'll look into fixing this. Thanks for the feedback.
Logged
-Bruce-

Offline Xairbusdriver

  • Administrator
  • TS Addict
  • *****
  • Posts: 26388
  • 27" iMac (mid-17), Big Sur, Mac mini, Catalina
    • View Profile
    • Mid-South Weather
Possible Fix On The Way!
« Reply #10 on: October 30, 2003, 04:44:13 PM »
Without knowing exactly what I'm talking about (I don't let that detail ever stop me!), I think the developer is creating problems where they are not needed.

There is no way to keep a layout from being disrupted when there are both fixed size objects (images) and variable sized ones (text). Even if the images sizes could be changed, even when pixel sizes are given, that would not make them more readable, just more blocky or with less visible detail.

While images are great for 'flash' and entertainment, they usually fail to provide the same quality of information that can be presented with text for those with vision problems. Sure, a picture can be worth a thousand words. But I want information that is viewable/readable. That usually means text. And limiting a browsers ability to display text in the size that the user wants is just poor programming and not a little arrogant. It is telling the user that the developer knows what's best for him, regardless of whether or not the developer even knows what the user needs/wants.

Stop worrying about how the layout may look. That's what the W3C and CSS standards are for. Let the site developers be concerned about that. And even they should be more concerned about following those same standards, so the site is usable on any browser, be it Safari or IE on a Mac/PC or whatever is available on a PDA, cell phone or webTV (shudder!).

Of course, that's just my opinion and what's that worth?! doh.gif I'm just a user... wallbash.gif

Jim C.
Logged
THERE ARE TWO TYPES OF COUNTRIES
Those that use metric = #1 Measurement system
And the United States = The Banana system
CAUTION! Childhood vaccinations cause adults! :yes:

Offline Bill

  • TS Addict
  • *****
  • Posts: 4615
    • View Profile
Possible Fix On The Way!
« Reply #11 on: November 02, 2003, 01:52:14 AM »
Bruce F.
I see what you mean about Safari in panther.
I've been running around with camino.
Logged
Two cans and a string powered by a big mouth
Pages: [1]   Go Up
« previous next »