Felix, admittedly I never questioned why setting font-size: 100% was a best practice, it's just always something I've done. Based on your response I did some quick research and, it appears, the original reason was to fix some ie6/7 issues with em scaling.
Additionally, I checked normalize.CSS as I knew it was in there, you can see the reasoning they have also: https://github.com/h5bp/html5-boilerplate/blob/master/css/normalize.css Without looking further, there appear to be valid reasons for setting font-size to 100% on body. (Also admittedly, this is one of those practices that I see no harm in, so if someone smarter than me figured out it helps, I'll just take their word for it and include the few characters :)) Chris On Jul 26, 2014 9:27 PM, "Felix Miata" <mrma...@earthlink.net> wrote: > On 2014-07-26 19:43 (GMT-0500) Karl DeSaulniers composed: > > Felix Miata wrote: >>> >> > ...CSS for the public web should never size text in px. Sizing text in >>> px means the optimal base size determined by each user, as embodied in >>> his browser default size, is totally disregarded, tyrannically usurped >>> if you will, which is rude. >>> >> > Hmm looks like you're right....So use ems as the body font size and % >> elsewhere. >> > > 1-WRT text size, there's no effective difference between using em and %. > The only difference in compliant browsers WRT text size is CSS syntax, what > follows the last numeral, and where the period belongs. Where the meaning > of em and % differs is WRT sizes of objects other than text, e.g. > containers and images. > > 2-Why set a size on the body at all? When you do that, you're in effect > telling every user that his determination of optimal size is wrong. You > can't know any such thing. You don't have his eyes. You can't see his > screen. What you're doing changing the base size in em or % is usually > different from using px mostly in degree, but the very same thing in > overall concept - disrespect (usually, but not necessarily, e.g. if going > bigger in order to be emphatic) for the user. > > Leaving font size out of body (and html) you're embracing the user's > advance determination what an optimal base size is - he gets his preferred > size as the base, and presumably, dominant size of page text, ideal for > paragraphs and/or whatever other text makes up the majority of content. > Explicit sizing of text should be reserved for text that has good reason to > differ in size from the base size, things like headings, footnotes, > superscripts, footer text and such. The bonus for you as stylist, is your > CSS can be much simpler, and thus easier to build and maintain. > -- > "The wise are known for their understanding, and pleasant > words are persuasive." Proverbs 16:21 (New Living Translation) > > Team OS/2 ** Reg. Linux User #211409 ** a11y rocks! > > Felix Miata *** http://fm.no-ip.com/ > ______________________________________________________________________ > css-discuss [css-d@lists.css-discuss.org] > http://www.css-discuss.org/mailman/listinfo/css-d > List wiki/FAQ -- http://css-discuss.incutio.com/ > List policies -- http://css-discuss.org/policies.html > Supported by evolt.org -- http://www.evolt.org/help_support_evolt/ > ______________________________________________________________________ css-discuss [css-d@lists.css-discuss.org] http://www.css-discuss.org/mailman/listinfo/css-d List wiki/FAQ -- http://css-discuss.incutio.com/ List policies -- http://css-discuss.org/policies.html Supported by evolt.org -- http://www.evolt.org/help_support_evolt/
