CodingFont: A game to help you pick a coding font

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Overall reception

  • Many found the game fun, validating that they already use their “winning” font or discovering a new one to try.
  • Others felt it was a time sink or ended with a font they actively dislike, questioning the selection method.

UX & interaction feedback

  • Several comments say it’s awkward on mobile: hidden progress, instructions only visible when zoomed out, layout requiring a large window.
  • Requests include: visible progress/round count, clear display of finalists/placements, the ability to re‑inspect all fonts afterward, and better sample text (digits, underscores, brackets, pipes, custom languages).
  • People want a “neither” option for pairs where both fonts are unacceptable or indistinguishable.

Font lineup & omissions

  • Many complain their favorites are missing, especially popular coding fonts (e.g., Iosevka, Cascadia Code, Berkeley Mono, Commit Mono, paid/proprietary options).
  • Some want user-submitted fonts and the ability to test personal fonts in the same interface.

Selection method & stats

  • Current single-elimination “tournament” is seen as crude; suggestions include Elo-style or “hot-or-not” rating systems and active learning to better model nuanced preferences.
  • Multiple people want global stats on which fonts win most often.

Criteria people care about

  • Distinguishability: clear differences between 0/O, 1/l/I, good brackets, visible underscores, pipe character shape, numeric alignment.
  • Metrics: narrow vs wide glyphs (more text vs clarity), weight (older users tending toward bolder, larger fonts), serif vs sans.
  • Many dismiss fonts where 0 and O are too similar as “not really coding fonts.”

Ligatures & stylistic features

  • Strong divide on ligatures: some love them for readability and pseudo-math symbols; others find them misleading or “monkey business” and disable them.
  • Some want filters to include/exclude ligature fonts, serifs, or cursive italics.

Rendering & environment concerns

  • Several note browser rendering differs from editors/terminals (Freetype, DirectWrite, macOS), so results may not transfer.
  • A few report needing specific browser settings or internet access to see fonts, and complain about inconsistent scaling across fonts.