[bug #68261] [man] offer advice on (not) using Courier/monospace/typewritten font in man pages

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Follow-up Comment #15, bug #68261 (group groff):=0A=0ADave, flamboyantly sw=
ashbuckling with a Zorro mask on, filed the following as=0Abug #68543.=0A =
=0A[comment #0 original submission:]=0A> Branden posted the following in=0A=
> http://lists.gnu.org/r/groff/2026-05/msg00022.html and asked for feedback=
 on=0A> the proposal.  None was provided.  (The replies in the thread cover=
 different=0A> parts of the message.)  This at least indicates no one is op=
posed, and his=0A> proposal does seem to address a real and recurring issue=
, thus this ticket to=0A> stick a pin in the idea.=0A> ----=0A> I know I'll=
 never get man page authors as a whole to give up their font=0A> escape seq=
uences; the best I can do is try to convince people that using them=0A> has=
 drawbacks, by spelling out what those drawbacks are.=0A> =0A> * The format=
ter can't distinguish typos from intentional but impossible=0A> demands;=0A=
> * because font escape sequences "punch through the floor" and directly=0A=
> command the formatter, the macro package can't help you by checking font=
=0A> availability for itself and then falling back to something "reasonable=
" in=0A> context (and taking output device capabilities into account);=0A> =
* the identity of the "previous font", as selected by `\fP`, is inconsisten=
t=0A> among implementations if an un-fulfillable selection is made;[1]=0A> =
* input like `\fIthis\fP` frustrates many spell checkers; and=0A> * groff m=
an(7), at least, knows to apply italic corrections when the document=0A> se=
ts upright and slanted glyphs adjacently.=0A> =0A> Maybe I should stick the=
 foregoing into the "Notes" section...of the=0A> groff_man_style(7) documen=
t.=0A=0AHowever Deri inadvertently hijacked that ticket with a related issu=
e and lots=0Aof attachments.  So let's coalesce Dave's original objectives =
for #68543 into=0Athis ticket, because the issues are pretty closely intert=
wined anyway.  They=0Aboth require me to get all professorial and preachy i=
n _groff_man_style_(7)=0Aregarding font selection practices.=0A=0ASpecifica=
lly, the foregoing points that Dave helpfully quoted build, I think,=0AI pr=
etty strong case against bashing font selection escape sequences blindly=0A=
into _man_(7) documents, which seems to tempt the simian mind most strongly=
=0Awhen it desires a monospaced typeface.=0A=0AAlso, this ticket's prerequi=
site bug #68345 has been fixed for a little while.=0A=0A=0A    ____________=
___________________________________________=0A=0AReply to this item at:=0A=
=0A  <https://savannah.gnu.org/bugs/?68261>=0A=0A__________________________=
_____________________=0AMessage sent via Savannah=0Ahttps://savannah.gnu.or=
g/=0A
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