Fixedsys is actually the oldest font in Windows. The name means fixed system, although it is often pronounced “fixed size” because its glyphs are monospace or fixed-width. It was the system font in Windows 1.0 and 2.0. For Windows 3.x, the system font was changed to MS Sans Serif. In Windows 95, 98, and Windows Me, Fixedsys is used as the default font for Notepad. This font was superseded by Lucida Console in Notepad for later versions of Windows. In Windows 95, this default font cannot be changed.

The font has an interesting method of distinguishing between zero and the capital letter “O”. Instead of the usual subtle difference in shape between the two, or crossing a line through the zero, or placing a dot in its center, there are two barbs in the bowl of the character, pointing to each other. This also prevents confusion with the numeral “8″.

This entry was posted on Sunday, January 14th, 2007 at 4:11 pm and is filed under All, Famous Fonts. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.