Why do text sizes vary so much on MacBook Air?

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Level 1

13 points

Why do text sizes vary so much on MacBook Air?

I have a new MacBook AIr (11", Mid-2013) and the text sizes displayed while browsing the web change from site to site. The text size is either proportional to the rest of the display (menu bar, browser tabs, etc.) or quite huge. This appears to be a Firefox problem, because I don't see the same behavior on the same sites in Safari. I use Firefox because of add-ons like Noscript and AdBlock Plus, great security tools that are not available for Safari. The problem also seems to occur more often in Google apps (such as Gmail).

This behavior does not appear on by MacBook Pro.

MacBook Air (11-inch Mid 2013), OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.5)

Posted on Nov 12, 2013 3:34 PM

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Answer 1

Nov 12, 2013 3:41 PM in response to jeffb996

Hmm, that doesnt follow, I use Firefox almost exclusively on my Air, never noticed same.

yes, Firefox is great for its endless 1000s of JS addons.

Can you give two examples of websites on firefox where scripts change drastically?

It sounds MORE like you have a funky Firefox addon causing issues rather than Firefox itself.

😊

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Answer 2

jeffb996 Author

Level 1

13 points

Nov 12, 2013 4:54 PM in response to PlotinusVeritas

Gmail does it. The text is roughly 4x the size of the menu bar and the body text of most websites. Oddly, though, the text within the discussion reply message appears to be correct. (Maybe because it contains images and must be rendered in HTML?)

spaceflightnow.com

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page

Woops, hold it. To make sure I wasn't starting any wild goose chases and noting your remark about not ever seeing the same thing on your MacBook Air, I went back to the Firefox preferences and checked the default font settings. It was set at Arial, 26 point. I changed it to Arial, 16 point and now the formerly large fonts look correct. Also, other sites that looked correct before did not change. How the default got set to 26 point is beyond me; I don't think I fatfingered anything, but who knows?

What threw me was that some sites looked weird and most others looked normal. As I look at the preferences for Safari, I see that it does not offer a default font and size, it only limits the smallest size that can be displayed under the Accessibility tab.

So, by asking for more data, you led me to the solution, which counts as a win. Much obliged.

Jeff B

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Answer 3

Nov 12, 2013 6:10 PM in response to jeffb996

jeffb996 Los Angeles, CA

So, by asking for more data, you led me to the solution, which counts as a win.

Anything that leads to getting to a solution is good. 😊

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Answer 4

jeffb996 Author

Level 1

13 points

Nov 12, 2013 11:35 PM in response to PlotinusVeritas

Yeah, even embarassment avoidance.

Seriously, you got me to walk back through what I'd already done with a more dispassionate eye. Sometimes, a slow, careful, walk back through what you've already done is all you need.

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Answer 5

Nov 12, 2013 11:53 PM in response to jeffb996

yes , you did retroduction (elimination revelation). VS. deduction (ala Sherlock)

deduction is looking for a needle in a haystack

retroduction is knowing metal doesnt burn and throwing a match on the haystack and within seconds all is burned away to the wind but the needle. ... Or positing thru elimination

deduction works, but retroduction is magnitudes faster in diagnosis methodology

Its always good to have a keen interest in process diagnosis, its useful in all aspects of life.

Peace

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Answer 6

jeffb996 Author

Level 1

13 points

Nov 13, 2013 12:27 AM in response to PlotinusVeritas

Ah. Your command of language is indeed a joy to those who appreciate such things. Such artistry can be described with the proper assemblage of the words of the Queen's English. And also such clear and undeniable logic.

Holmes was, indeed, a master at deducing the truth from so many disparate and seemingly disassociated facts and observations. Yet he, masterfully indeed, tempered his deductive prowess with often sublime retroduction.

The solution to problems, so often is dependent on one's ability to look within oneself and recognize one's own personal and logical biases. The simple question, "Hey, did I miss something here?" is so often the magical key and the answer to the problem.

And it can keep you from looking like a dope.

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