Frontpage default font aliasing issues in Chrome

[SinsOfCube]

The title pretty much says it. I'm running the latest stable Chrome on Windows 8.1 and the headers don't display/render properly.

It's fine in IE11 or when I change the default font to something other than Open Sans.

 

I've included a screenshot.

[Neowinian]

Im using chrome, and having no problems. Clear your cache.

[Timan Veteran]

I don't know the setting, but its to do with directwrite (and most recent versions of chrome).

[Denis W. Veteran]

I don't know the setting, but its to do with directwrite (and most recent versions of chrome).

 

This ^. For now in Chrome on Windows open chrome://flags and search for DirectWrite. Turn that flag on.

Won't be a problem for long as Chrome 37 stable will have it on by default.

[Ambroos]

All browsers on Windows that aren't using DirectWrite have major issues with webfonts. Firefox too, but it has had DirectWrite enabled by default for ages now so it's less of an issue.

 

The next major version of Chrome will have DirectWrite enabled by default, and it looks great. It's coming one of the next weeks I think, and with the excellent auto-updating the vast majority of uses will be using it a few days after release.

[derkim]

I decided me to disable DirectWrite because I don't like it. I hope there comes a fix for it.

[The_Decryptor Veteran]

I decided me to disable DirectWrite because I don't like it. I hope there comes a fix for it.

The fix is enabling DirectWrite, the problem lies with GDI and Microsoft aren't interested in changing how it works.

[Raa]

Microsoft aren't interested in changing how it works.

That's not surprising.

[derkim]

The fix is enabling DirectWrite, the problem lies with GDI and Microsoft aren't interested in changing how it works.

 

What actually is happened that the fonts are no longer "clean" without DirectWrite?

[The_Decryptor Veteran]

What actually is happened that the fonts are no longer "clean" without DirectWrite?

They were changed from Segoe UI (I think) to Open Sans, and Open Sans doesn't have the very strong hinting that GDI requires (Segoe UI does on the other hand, it's a beautiful font when unhinted).

I could write paragraphs of exactly how GDI is broken here and why DirectWrite is better, simply because pretty much nothing GDI does is actually correct, it's an API designed for Windows 3 that has had features cobbled onto it over time (e.g. ClearType is implemented as a hack into GDI, that's what causes the errors on the S, u, a, c, e, 3 glyphs. Those parts can't be anti-aliased) Microsoft made a clean break with DirectWrite and fixed all the problems GDI had, while retaining the "benefits" GDI offered (Strong hinting and ClearType)

[derkim]

They were changed from Segoe UI (I think) to Open Sans, and Open Sans doesn't have the very strong hinting that GDI requires (Segoe UI does on the other hand, it's a beautiful font when unhinted).

I could write paragraphs of exactly how GDI is broken here and why DirectWrite is better, simply because pretty much nothing GDI does is actually correct, it's an API designed for Windows 3 that has had features cobbled onto it over time (e.g. ClearType is implemented as a hack into GDI, that's what causes the errors on the S, u, a, c, e, 3 glyphs. Those parts can't be anti-aliased) Microsoft made a clean break with DirectWrite and fixed all the problems GDI had, while retaining the "benefits" GDI offered (Strong hinting and ClearType)

 Thanks for this.