Firacode: Can you make the `r` look better?
Fira Code is the best font for writing code (programming). My only complaint is the r looks weird compare to other letters. Can you make the r looks better? I mean make it as sans-serif like the other letters, instead of being the only serif letter in the group.
Thank you.
pakLebah
All 25 comments
It has its form for legibility reasons. Maybe I鈥檒l return alternative form as a stylistic subset one day, thanks for the reminder!
tonsky
on 22 May 2018
IMO, the current r is anything but legibility. Just look at the provided codes in the readme. The r seems out of place. I even notice it since the first time I tried this font. I love its ligatures though. So, I just ignore it but somehow it still annoys me. I wish I could replace it myself with something from Consolas or something. 馃槉
pakLebah
on 23 May 2018
The "r" is not particularly in need of increased legibility. Currently it stands out like a sore thumb. My cooworker when shown Fira said hmm....looks cool...oh wait! Thats what the "r" looks like? Nope not doing it. Nevermind. I'm in the same camp.
abductedMind
on 3 Jun 2018
Noto Sans Mono seems has the same problem.
whenov
on 7 Jun 2018
This issue is the one thing keeping me from using Fira Code as my main font. The lowercase r throws off the whole aesthetic. I've never had any problem with r being legible, except maybe in handwriting.
We need either a new r glyph or an alt-style with a sans-serif r. I scratched together a possible alternative in FontForge for the Regular weight:
If I have time this weekend, I'll work on the other weights and submit a pull request.
digital-diplomat
on 20 Oct 2018
@brilliantly-insane How about dropping the serif on the left side of the r too?
j-f1
on 20 Oct 2018
@j-f1 Agreed; thought it _might_ work with the l and J characters, for example, but it doesn't work for the r.
digital-diplomat
on 20 Oct 2018
Yup. I think the r should be made completely sans-serif. And please make it the same for every style (italic, bold, light, etc). Thank you. 馃槉
pakLebah
on 21 Oct 2018
The r is keeping me and my colleagues from using this font. I never encountered someone that actually likes the current r in this font.
fatjoem
on 22 Oct 2018
FWIW, the i is also in the serif style.
kumarharsh
on 18 Dec 2018
There are a few other traditional serifs such as the i j L, however the r is unusual for an r. Perhaps it would look right if the curved width was 10% wider or we had been used to seeing it in other fonts (there may be a font out there that does have this serif? But I don't know one off the top of my head). Almost all serifs are horz (in this font), the r has the only one vertical. I mean if for the r why not for the c as well? or s or z or 7? The point is that the r stands out. The r is not harmonious.
abductedMind
on 18 Dec 2018
It isn鈥檛. Originally r didn鈥檛 have serifs. Those were added because people complained about low legibility. r without serifs used to look like lowercase i. If you dig deep enough I guess you can find the original r in oldest Fira Mono files
tonsky
on 18 Dec 2018
That's hard to believe really. How many people complained? Whomever I ask, they prefer using another font instead of Fira, because of the serifs in Fira r.
fatjoem
on 18 Dec 2018
tonsky
on 18 Dec 2018
Yes, important link above. Note that people immediately complained about the result in that issue. Its a real SHAME that an "issue" with the r was the resolved this way, when this issue should be an issue for many other mono-spaced fonts, yet its not? IMO: It wasn't a real issue then, and now we have an ugly r.
abductedMind
on 23 Dec 2018
I didn鈥檛 adopt Fira because of the r too, I just... can鈥檛. That鈥檚 a pity because everything is so good but this spoils it. Maybe if I used it for several months I could get used to it, but each time I tried I just kept staring at those r letters.
gphilipp
on 22 Jan 2019
@diplomatic-dev how did you go with that?
aNickzz
on 13 Feb 2019
I think fira code is the best font for intellij and windows console!
but i agree "r" looks awkward...
byoungju94
on 18 Feb 2019
Another viewpoint (possibly unpopular):
To me, the r is the one glyph that truly sets the font apart. While it is indeed quirky and unconventional, it's also one of the things that make the font instantly recognizable.
However, that is not to say the glyph looks good from a useability perspective. I feel like removing only the offending serif and keeping the body in the same form as the current i would be the best compromise to make.
al2me6
on 22 Feb 2019
I'm mainly using Source Code Pro / Hasklig and I tried so many times to use Fira Code but couldn't even manage to have it set for a few days. It has many good parts but the r makes the code look unpleasant when I scan it with my eyes. This single glyph can make whole lines of code look displeasing.
alexdreptu
on 6 May 2019
+1, please add a sans r. Fira Code would be my favorite font if it wasn't for that r
kisarid
on 10 May 2019
I stopped seeing it after a week, now it looks just normal. The author, having looked at it for years, must think: what do these people have against a perfectly normal r?
radu-b
on 25 Jun 2019
Am I the only one who likes the r?
steebchen
on 12 Jul 2019
@steebchen you are not alone. I don鈥檛 believe it needs defending.
ollicle
on 12 Jul 2019
I vote for a truly sans-serif version of Fira Code. It has become my favourite coding font, but the serifs look extremely odd, even more so on a 4k monitor with more pixels available for font rendering. Most notably, r and 矛 could use a sans-serif treatment, maybe l (lowercase L) too. g is also a bit too playful for my taste.
MartinHaeusler
on 18 Jul 2019
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Most helpful comment
I didn鈥檛 adopt Fira because of the r too, I just... can鈥檛. That鈥檚 a pity because everything is so good but this spoils it. Maybe if I used it for several months I could get used to it, but each time I tried I just kept staring at those r letters.