Re: Fix: smallexample selects \smallerfonts

[Han-Wen Nienhuys]

address@hidden writes:
>     @smallexample uses the same default font as @example does, although
>     the doc says:
> 
> It's actually intentional that this happen.  The small fonts only get
> used in @smallbook.  In other formats, @smallexample and @example are
> equivalent.  It's always been this way.  I guess the idea is that
> examples might be too wide for smallbook, but still fit in 8.5x11.
> 
> Personally I don't object to making @smallbook always be smaller, for
> the sake of wide examples.  Bob, rms, anyone?
> Unfortunately, you have to go down to cmtt8 before 80 characters will
> fit across.  That is too small in general, even for @smallexample,
> because most examples don't need it.  We go to cmtt9, which gets to 72
> chars in smallbook.  Maybe we should have @tinyexample too.  Sigh.

I think using standard cm fonts for narrower examples is a bad
idea.

Smaller design sizes in the CM family are relatively wider (it's a
feature, not a bug), so not much horizontal space is saved when using
them.  One should use a condensed non-proportional font, for example,
horizontally scaled Courier, or scaled cmtt12. I've also seen
sansserif fonts being used in manuals, perhaps helvetica, arial or
scaled cmss12?

Or one could adjust an existing cmtt to be narrower: simply scale down
the u# parameter in the cmttXX.mf file. (this would involve some
urgness, because it would require the modified MF file to be installed
as well)

Nevertheless 72 characters already sounds nice, I believe standard
texinfo settings allow for less?  

-- 

Han-Wen Nienhuys   |   address@hidden    | http://www.cs.uu.nl/~hanwen/