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> As for the opinion that underlines serve no purpose other than to clutter the
> text (clobber text in the next line, I believe I read), that can easily be
> handled with style sheets that set the line height. (But, I will admit, you
> have to be using a browser that supports style sheets.)
The only trouble is, setting the line type to avoid poor underlining
is likely to cause other design problems by placing too much space
between the lines.
Anyway, the problem is just as likely to be with the text above as
below. If, as many people claim, we use the shape of words to assist
in reading, a line beneath a word tends to reduce the differences in
shape. And, when descenders are in the word (parts of the letters
below the baseline, like the ones on "y" or "g"), the damage is even
uglier.
The only really successful way to underline a word (on the rare
occasions when a design calls for it) is to add a line manually. But
I don't think that's an option that will appeal to tech-writers,
especially on-line.
--
Bruce Byfield 604.421.7177 bbyfield -at- progeny -dot- com
"Wild wood, bush and briar, it makes your feet to stumble,
Wise blood,the sky's on fire: away, away,
Wild wood, bush and briar, it makes your heart to tremble;
Love, you mustn't tire at the dying of the day."
-OysterBand, "We Shall Come Home"
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