Blocking downloaded fonts?

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psaulm119
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Blocking downloaded fonts?

Post by psaulm119 »

I just read this http://www.ghacks.net/2015/07/21/firefox-41-mozilla-modifies-how-icon-fonts-are-handled-by-the-browser/ and have not yet read about people blocking the downloading of fonts.

What would be a reason for doing this? Security? Increasing the speed of displaying the page? Or is it just aesthetics?
Paul
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jscher2000
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Re: Blocking downloaded fonts?

Post by jscher2000 »

Many people choose not to use webfonts for whatever reason. Currently that is an all-or-nothing proposition, making useless the UI on some sites that use font-based icons without accompanying text labels. A common example is Yahoo! mail: https://support.mozilla.org/questions/1030487 , https://support.mozilla.org/questions/997942

This change will (somehow, magically) determine whether a webfont is used for icons and allow that as an exception to the "use my fonts" preference so users can have what they seem to want, which is familiar legible text fonts and readable UI icons.
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psaulm119
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Re: Blocking downloaded fonts?

Post by psaulm119 »

jscher2000 wrote:.... users can have what they seem to want, which is familiar legible text fonts and readable UI icons.


So you are saying that this is not a security issue or a matter of quickening up the display of web pages? But just a matter of visual preference?
Paul
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jscher2000
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Re: Blocking downloaded fonts?

Post by jscher2000 »

Okay, I guess you could say it's a matter of visual preference. Firefox has long allowed users to override the site's fonts with standard fonts, but in the past year, that has become much less usable due to the trend toward using webfonts for icons. This upcoming change will improve the usability of this longstanding setting.
flaneurb
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Re: Blocking downloaded fonts?

Post by flaneurb »

psaulm119 wrote:
jscher2000 wrote:.... users can have what they seem to want, which is familiar legible text fonts and readable UI icons.


So you are saying that this is not a security issue or a matter of quickening up the display of web pages? But just a matter of visual preference?

For me, it's a bit of quickening (I see fonts.googleapis.com delaying page loading) and visual preference though having one's own font choice may mess up certain pages.
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psaulm119
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Re: Blocking downloaded fonts?

Post by psaulm119 »

Then I wont worry about it. Thanks for clarifying that matter.
Paul
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