Courier is simply a horrible font. It is barely legible with its thin strokes and clumsy serifs.OK, really it's Courier New I have a problem with. Courier isn't quite that bad. But I'm amazed at how many web sites hard-code Courier rather than simply using the browser's default monospace font.
If you don't want to trust the browser's default, at least use higher-quality alternatives Andale and Monaco instead. They are widely available and have been around forever -- Andale as a part of Microsoft's core web fonts and Monaco as a part of every version of Mac OS I've ever used (I started with 6.0.8). Consolas is an even better choice, but it's only on systems running Vista or Office 2007/2008 (or anyone who has downloaded the PowerPoint 2007 viewer, wink wink).
So here's my solution. I created a GreaseMonkey script (inspired by this one) to replace all references to Courier and Courier New to my default monospace font (which is Consolas). Install it from here.
If you don't want to trust the browser's default, at least use higher-quality alternatives Andale and Monaco instead. They are widely available and have been around forever -- Andale as a part of Microsoft's core web fonts and Monaco as a part of every version of Mac OS I've ever used (I started with 6.0.8). Consolas is an even better choice, but it's only on systems running Vista or Office 2007/2008 (or anyone who has downloaded the PowerPoint 2007 viewer, wink wink).
So here's my solution. I created a GreaseMonkey script (inspired by this one) to replace all references to Courier and Courier New to my default monospace font (which is Consolas). Install it from here.
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