# Curious, why two fonts **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [December 25, 2018, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curious-why-two-fonts/826673 "2018-12-25T06:43:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2018, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curious-why-two-fonts/826673/1 "2018-12-25T06:43:40Z")
I’ve noticed several differences in the text font as I’m composing it in the message box and in the final posted font. Just wondering why. (Example: when composing, capitol I’s have serifs - the final posts do not. There are others too) ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2018, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curious-why-two-fonts/826673/2 "2018-12-25T16:59:01Z")
The reason it’s like that here is because that’s the default behavior for vBulletin, and we don’t like spending the time to change things from the default without good reason, and we’ve never had good reason to change the fonts. Of course, that just pushes the question to asking why that’s the default for vBulletin, which I don’t know. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2018, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curious-why-two-fonts/826673/3 "2018-12-25T17:38:24Z")
“That’s just the way things are done.” For my browser, the default page font is Times-Roman and the default text-box font in a monospace, sans serif, console one. This site, like many, overrides the default but still like to go with something like this. In Computer Programming textbooks, it’s often the case that the main body of the text is in a Times-Roman style font but instances of actual code are in a monospace font. The later is also used to display program input/output. And text entry boxes are input places. So this style goes back a ways among computer folk. If you know the tricks of the trade, you can overrule font choices sites make and set your own. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2018, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curious-why-two-fonts/826673/4 "2018-12-25T17:38:38Z")
Thanks. You have to admit it’s curious. I’m sure the vBulletin architects had their reasons but for life of me I can’t come up with a good guess. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2018, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curious-why-two-fonts/826673/5 "2018-12-25T17:42:58Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > “That’s just the way things are done.” Your post popped up while I was typing. So, yeah, I can see why it makes sense for textbooks, it visually sets apart instructions from examples. But the difference between composing text and posted text isn’t really the same thing. ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2018, 9:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curious-why-two-fonts/826673/6 "2018-12-26T09:01:22Z")
> [@Lucas\_Jackson](#): > > Your post popped up while I was typing. So, yeah, I can see why it makes sense for textbooks, it visually sets apart instructions from examples. But the difference between composing text and posted text isn’t really the same thing. One of the reasons why it became sort of traditional is that fixed-space fonts reference typing, which is what people do, and proportional fonts reference publishing, which is what web sites do. And part of the reason for that is that mono-spaced fonts are traditionally much easier to render, and proportional fonts are traditionally much more difficult to render. So, it’s traditional. There is another reason, which is more contentious. Mono-spaced fonts are easier to proof-read. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2018, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curious-why-two-fonts/826673/7 "2018-12-26T15:44:58Z")
I would guess that it’s so you can more easily tell the difference between regular mode and the WYSIWYG (formatted) mode, where bold text looks bold, italics look italic, etc. In formatted mode, the font matches the board as it should. Do note that formatted mode isn’t offered on Chrome due to some compatibility issues. Some parts work, but other parts don’t, due to old code. On other browsers, there is a button for it on the far right, I believe, near the buttons for increasing and decreasing the textbox size. vBulletin 4 or higher fixed this so that it’s compatible with Chrome. vBulletin 3, I believe, predates Chrome. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2018, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curious-why-two-fonts/826673/8 "2018-12-26T16:12:12Z")
All fonts matter. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2018, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curious-why-two-fonts/826673/9 "2018-12-26T18:36:54Z")
> [@Melbourne](#): > > Mono-spaced fonts are easier to proof-read. My experience is the opposite. I’ll go over a post in the text box and not see a problem, click preview and all of a sudden there’s a bunch of typos. Just changing fonts helps but I know from long experience typewriter style fonts are just hard for me to scan for errors. ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2018, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curious-why-two-fonts/826673/10 "2018-12-27T02:29:16Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > My experience is the opposite. I’ll go over a post in the text box and not see a problem, click preview and all of a sudden there’s a bunch of typos. Just changing fonts helps but I know from long experience typewriter style fonts are just hard for me to scan for errors. Another suggestion is that it’s better to scan for errors in an unfamiliar font – because using an unfamiliar font forces you to concentrate on the letters. I don’t have a dog in this race – I hate proofreading because I mostly notice the floaters in my left eye. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2018, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curious-why-two-fonts/826673/11 "2018-12-27T21:57:24Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > All fonts matter. You monster.