Can you make the `r` look better?

[pakLebah]

Fira Code is the best font for writing code (programming). My only complaint is the r looks weird compare to other letters. Can you make the r looks better? I mean make it as sans-serif like the other letters, instead of being the only serif letter in the group.

Thank you.

[tonsky]

It has its form for legibility reasons. Maybe I’ll return alternative form as a stylistic subset one day, thanks for the reminder!

[pakLebah]

IMO, the current r is anything but legibility. Just look at the provided codes in the readme. The r seems out of place. I even notice it since the first time I tried this font. I love its ligatures though. So, I just ignore it but somehow it still annoys me. I wish I could replace it myself with something from Consolas or something. 😊

[abductedMind]

The "r" is not particularly in need of increased legibility. Currently it stands out like a sore thumb. My cooworker when shown Fira said hmm....looks cool...oh wait! Thats what the "r" looks like? Nope not doing it. Nevermind. I'm in the same camp.

[whenov]

Noto Sans Mono seems has the same problem.

[bynux-gh]

This issue is the one thing keeping me from using Fira Code as my main font. The lowercase r throws off the whole aesthetic. I've never had any problem with r being legible, except maybe in handwriting.

We need either a new r glyph or an alt-style with a sans-serif r. I scratched together a possible alternative in FontForge for the Regular weight:

If I have time this weekend, I'll work on the other weights and submit a pull request.

[j-f1]

@brilliantly-insane How about dropping the serif on the left side of the r too?

[bynux-gh]

@j-f1 Agreed; thought it might work with the l and J characters, for example, but it doesn't work for the r.

[pakLebah]

Yup. I think the r should be made completely sans-serif. And please make it the same for every style (italic, bold, light, etc). Thank you. 😊

[fatihcoskun79]

The r is keeping me and my colleagues from using this font. I never encountered someone that actually likes the current r in this font.

[kumarharsh]

FWIW, the i is also in the serif style.

[abductedMind]

There are a few other traditional serifs such as the i j L, however the r is unusual for an r. Perhaps it would look right if the curved width was 10% wider or we had been used to seeing it in other fonts (there may be a font out there that does have this serif? But I don't know one off the top of my head). Almost all serifs are horz (in this font), the r has the only one vertical. I mean if for the r why not for the c as well? or s or z or 7? The point is that the r stands out. The r is not harmonious.

[tonsky]

It isn’t. Originally r didn’t have serifs. Those were added because people complained about low legibility. r without serifs used to look like lowercase i. If you dig deep enough I guess you can find the original r in oldest Fira Mono files

[fatihcoskun79]

That's hard to believe really. How many people complained? Whomever I ask, they prefer using another font instead of Fira, because of the serifs in Fira r.

[tonsky]

mozilla/Fira#49