

Ask HN: What programming font do you use? - humility


======
ljoshua
Adobe's Source Code Pro is my favorite:
[http://store1.adobe.com/cfusion/store/html/index.cfm?event=d...](http://store1.adobe.com/cfusion/store/html/index.cfm?event=displayFontPackage&code=1960)

~~~
notduncansmith
+1 for Source Code Pro. Looks lovely in my editor and my terminal.

------
lucianp
My favorite is Source Code Pro by Adobe [1]. I use it on Mac OS X and Ubuntu.
On Windows I have to use Consolas, because SCP does not render well in gVim
for Windows (at least not on my system).

Note that Source Code Pro does not have an _Italic typeface_ yet. Italics are
commonly used for source code comments and most editors will automatically
emulate the shapes, often with poor results. Active development is currently
being done in this direction [2].

[1]. [http://dwabyick.github.io/Source-Code-
Pro](http://dwabyick.github.io/Source-Code-Pro)

[2]. [https://github.com/adobe-fonts/source-code-
pro/issues/6](https://github.com/adobe-fonts/source-code-pro/issues/6)

~~~
quantisan
[2] was raised in 2012 and still in discussion. I have no idea how fonts are
made. Why does it take 2+ years to make a font italic?

~~~
Tomte
Because you need to come up with a design for the cursive variant and then
draw all those glyphs.

So the time needed is probably shorter than the time spent on the regular
variant, but only by a small factor, certainly not orders of magnitude.

~~~
sp332
The glyphs can look completely different in italic.
[http://www.fffranziska.com/#sec_italics](http://www.fffranziska.com/#sec_italics)
And after drawing the glyphs, manually checking and adjusting the kerning
between every pair of glyphs takes a lot of time too.

------
quantisan
Inconsolata
[http://www.levien.com/type/myfonts/inconsolata.html](http://www.levien.com/type/myfonts/inconsolata.html)

~~~
krispyfi
If you program with Japanese comments, I really recommend Ricty.

It's a combination of Inconsolata for Latin characters and an IPA font variant
called Migu 1M for Japanese characters in the same dimensions.

I've never seen it as a binary, so you have to run a script to build it
yourself.

[https://github.com/yascentur/Ricty](https://github.com/yascentur/Ricty)

------
sever
I'm a font fetishist, so over many years I've tried many fonts. Settled on
Maax Mono [1], I find it to be remarkably beautiful.

[1] [https://www.myfonts.com/fonts/gautier/maax-
mono/](https://www.myfonts.com/fonts/gautier/maax-mono/)

~~~
swah
Do you use it outisde retina environments?

------
Argorak
Fira Sans Mono.

[https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/styleguide/products/firefox-
os...](https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/styleguide/products/firefox-os/typeface/)
(not displayed, but the download includes a Mono variant)

~~~
spatz
Fira Mono is really beautiful, but the problem I have with it is the vertical
spacing. The lines are so far apart, almost nothing fits in the screen.

~~~
Argorak
One's joy, the others pain. I like that ;).

------
brainburn
Cosmic Sans Neue Mono

Note there's an S in Cosmic :)

[https://github.com/belluzj/fantasque-
sans](https://github.com/belluzj/fantasque-sans)

~~~
charlesism
Thanks, that's one snazzy programming font. I'm definitely giving it a try.
Edit: it's nice at small sizes. They should have made a hairline variant
though, for larger sizes, as it's pretty bold and the characters aren't as
distinct as the could be. Think I'll keep using it for a while longer and see
how it goes

------
jimlei
I think the default fonts work great so I have never changed the font of the
editor(s) I use. Am I weird?

~~~
sjtrny
No, I'm the same way too. I've never even thought about changing the font in
IDEs or terminal.

------
dgellow
In Emacs (GUI): Droid Sans Mono
[https://www.google.com/fonts/specimen/Droid+Sans+Mono](https://www.google.com/fonts/specimen/Droid+Sans+Mono)

In my terminal: Source Code Pro
[https://www.google.com/fonts/specimen/Source+Code+Pro](https://www.google.com/fonts/specimen/Source+Code+Pro)

~~~
jacobroufa
Have you tried Droid Sans Mono Slashed? I find that the slashed 0 helps
readability quite a bit.

------
izietto
Ubuntu Mono
[https://www.google.com/fonts/specimen/Ubuntu+Mono](https://www.google.com/fonts/specimen/Ubuntu+Mono)
I like it a lot.

Here an example of Sublime Text 3 + Ubuntu Mono 10pt + Blackboard Theme:
[http://imgur.com/qW8yyi0](http://imgur.com/qW8yyi0)

~~~
cranium
I use Ubuntu Mono 14pt in iTerm2 and kinda like using a font that big !
[http://imgur.com/7Bdtuge](http://imgur.com/7Bdtuge)

~~~
qzc4
What triangle character are you using there in your prompt? Sorry, but I
haven't found a way to make it 'stick' to the background before it using any
font (at least at 14pt).

Edit: OK, I found the character/theme you are using, but what version of
Ubuntu Mono do you have? It won't handle that for me :/

Edit 2: I found a Powerline patched version, but that doesn't seem to work
either… Maybe I will just switch back to Consolas

------
johncoltrane
I've used Inconsolata exclusively (the original first [1], then the -dz
variant [2], then the -g variant [3]) since 2002 or 2003.

I've recently switched to Fira Mono [4], designed by the awesome Erik
Spiekermann for Mozilla.

[1]
[http://levien.com/type/myfonts/inconsolata.html](http://levien.com/type/myfonts/inconsolata.html)

[2] [http://nodnod.net/2009/feb/12/adding-straight-single-and-
dou...](http://nodnod.net/2009/feb/12/adding-straight-single-and-double-
quotes-inconsola/)

[3]
[http://leonardo-m.livejournal.com/77079.html](http://leonardo-m.livejournal.com/77079.html)

[4] [https://github.com/mozilla/Fira](https://github.com/mozilla/Fira)

------
Jgrubb
I always try out the others, but I always come back to Monaco.

------
Ruud-v-A
Consolas. I have tried Vera Sans Mono and Source Sans, but nothing comes close
to Consolas.

------
swah
Nobody mentions if they use Retina when recommending those "newer" fonts. I
imagine most fonts that "only look good in 48pt" in my screen can be used for
coding in Retina screens (never seen one of those).

BUT when using low-dpi monitors, very few get the hinting right, and bitmap
(6x13 [1]) is king.

[1]
[http://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/fonts/](http://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/fonts/)

------
Ragu
I'm Mainly using google fonts. Its awesome and nice.Professional fonts are
available at google fonts. Try it here
[https://www.google.com/fonts](https://www.google.com/fonts)

We also tried font-family: 'Andika', sans-serif;
[http://courseeplus.com/aboutus/](http://courseeplus.com/aboutus/)

------
bennyp101
I used Hermit ([https://pcaro.es/p/hermit/](https://pcaro.es/p/hermit/)) for a
while when it first appeared, but now I use Source code pro from adobe
([http://store1.adobe.com/cfusion/store/html/index.cfm?event=d...](http://store1.adobe.com/cfusion/store/html/index.cfm?event=displayFontPackage&code=1960))

Otherwise I think it was Monaco way before those.

------
Tiksi
I use tamsyn ([http://www.fial.com/~scott/tamsyn-
font/](http://www.fial.com/~scott/tamsyn-font/)) where I can. It's a bitmap
font and looks great at small sizes. However since it's a bitmap font there's
a few places that it can't be used.

~~~
swah
Interesting to me how the very clear bitmap fonts are so close to
Terminus/linux fonts. Its almost like there is only one way to put the pixels.

------
wsloth514
Hermit 14pt

[https://pcaro.es/p/hermit/](https://pcaro.es/p/hermit/)

------
bberrry
I am hugely anal about this topic and I've tried all fonts mentioned at the
time of this post. In the end, Consolas has racked up the most miles during my
coding and Proggy Tiny for the output console (allows you to fit quite a lot).
Don't get me started on color theme.

~~~
isxek
> Proggy Tiny for the input console

I would humbly suggest trying either MonteCarlo [1] or its derivative, Tamsyn
[2]. Certain characters (like the "@" symbol) look much better in either of
these fonts.

[1] [http://www.bok.net/MonteCarlo/](http://www.bok.net/MonteCarlo/) [2]
[http://www.fial.com/~scott/tamsyn-font/](http://www.fial.com/~scott/tamsyn-
font/)

~~~
swah
Tamsyn doesn't work for me in Sublime Text 3 - do you know why?

------
emilsoman
14 pt Menlo Regular. Pic :
[https://cloud.githubusercontent.com/assets/1707078/3491472/9...](https://cloud.githubusercontent.com/assets/1707078/3491472/9ce4f452-0592-11e4-8be6-ade4e4ba0748.png)

------
Pephers
Menlo Regular in 11 pt.

I use it in Sublime Text and also for my Terminal Monokai theme:
[https://github.com/Pephers/monokai-for-terminal-
app](https://github.com/Pephers/monokai-for-terminal-app)

------
Prefinem
Deja Vu Sans Mono

------
tokanizar
I just made a switch to Input
([http://input.fontbureau.com](http://input.fontbureau.com)). Before that, I
used Source Code Pro.

------
GnarfGnarf
Courier New (Visual Studio). I keep trying other stuff, but they are a
distraction. Courier New does not draw attention to itself, just seems to
blend in, and the code communicates directly to you.

~~~
teamhappy
I'm a huge fan of Adobe's Source Code Pro, but you might wanna take a look at
Courier Prime:
[http://quoteunquoteapps.com/courierprime/](http://quoteunquoteapps.com/courierprime/)

~~~
GnarfGnarf
Courier Prime is a very attractive font. Unfortunately the leading (inter-line
spacing, pronounced "ledding") is 18% bigger than Courier New. In a full
screen of code, I lose 7 lines. That means less visible code, more scrolling
up & down. I suppose there are font editors to adjust that.

Thanks for the suggestion anyway.

------
mattkrea
[https://github.com/andreberg/Meslo-Font](https://github.com/andreberg/Meslo-
Font)

Meslo. Can't get enough of it.

------
8ig8
Build your own...

[http://input.fontbureau.com/preview/](http://input.fontbureau.com/preview/)

------
seanmcdirmid
Segoe UI. I will never use a fixed width font again, though I wish I could
find something better then Segoe.

------
teebsd
Ubuntu Font [http://font.ubuntu.com/](http://font.ubuntu.com/)

------
davewiner
Geneva. I don't understand why programmers use monospace fonts, other than
some kind of tradition.

~~~
GnarfGnarf
That is an interesting observation. Perhaps it is due to habit. After 45 years
of programming (started with punched cards), I am accustomed to fixed-pitch
fonts. Proportional fonts for code seem unintelligible to me.

It is worth noting that all quality programming publications display code in
fixed pitch. Knuth, in his epochal "Art of Computer Programming", uses fixed-
pitch serif for source code. Petzold's "Programming Windows" uses fixed-pitch,
as does Kernighan & Ritchie's "The C Programming Language".

~~~
davewiner
I also use monospace font when publishing bits of source, it helps set it off
from the rest of the text.

But in the code itself, this isn't a consideration.

------
emikulic
Terminus, Proggy, or Triskweline. I can't stand stroked fonts in a terminal.

------
grakic
PragmataPro

~~~
antonios
I'll second that. Very nice and well-hinted font, with quite a bit of unicode
coverage as well. Definitely worth the money.

------
p3lim
Been using Proggy for a long time, it's a nice, readable monospace font.

------
argimenes
Cousine is currently my favourite ... quite readable in large and small sizes.

------
irickt
Luxi mono, because it has the most attractive serifs I've seen.

------
chippy
Monospace 9 (in Geany)

Liberation Mono (in Vim / Terminal)

------
Semaphor
I used to use Anonymous Pro, now I use Consolas.

------
gjvc
X11 10x20 since 1996

------
robinhoodexe
Source Code Pro

------
dham
Source Code Pro

------
h1d
BPMono

