Suddenly my newsreader is showing messages in very small font size and I
don't understand why.

It is nothing I have knowingly done to cause it.

I am aware font sizes can be changed in settings but when I do that it
just alters the font size for the message I am viewing and then reverts
to very small for the next.

Can the panel suggest how I might remedy this as my eyes are straining
to read the wisdom herein.

TIA Jack Harry

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

On 03/06/2025 18:42, Andy Burns wrote:

Jack Harry Teesdale wrote:

Suddenly my newsreader is showing messages in very small font size and
I don't understand why.

Try pressing ctrl-zero

Thanks Andy I've tried that but it doesn't seem to do anything.

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
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Jack Harry Teesdale wrote:

Suddenly my newsreader is showing messages in very small font size and I don't understand why.

Try pressing ctrl-zero

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

On 03/06/2025 18:39, Jack Harry Teesdale wrote:

Suddenly my newsreader is showing messages in very small font size and I don't understand why.

It is nothing I have knowingly done to cause it.

Thunderbird upgrade probably

I am aware font sizes can be changed in settings but when I do that it
just alters the font size for the message I am viewing and then reverts
to very small for the next.

Can the panel suggest how I might remedy this as my eyes are straining
to read the wisdom herein.

Ctrl Scroll sets the size of the current window

TIA Jack Harry

--
“But what a weak barrier is truth when it stands in the way of an hypothesis!”

Mary Wollstonecraft

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
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Jack Harry Teesdale wrote:

Andy Burns wrote:

Try pressing ctrl-zero

Thanks Andy I've tried that but it doesn't seem to do anything.

Do ctrl-plus or ctrl-minus have any effect?

in all cases (zero/plus/minus) don't use the numpad.

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
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On 04/06/2025 09:09, Andy Burns wrote:

Jack Harry Teesdale wrote:

Andy Burns wrote:

Try pressing ctrl-zero

Thanks Andy I've tried that but it doesn't seem to do anything.

Do ctrl-plus or ctrl-minus have any effect?

in all cases (zero/plus/minus) don't use the numpad.

Thanks Andy control+ seems to work.

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
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Jack Harry Teesdale wrote:

Thanks Andy control+ seems to work.

colour me surprised that ctrl-zero didn't then ...

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
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On 04/06/2025 10:24, Andy Burns wrote:

Jack Harry Teesdale wrote:

Thanks Andy control+ seems to work.

colour me surprised that ctrl-zero didn't then ...

Might be that "Jack's normal" was slightly zoomed in, so actual normal
seemed small.

(CTRL + Mouse wheel also adjusts the zoom)

--
Cheers,

John.

/=================================================================\
| Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk | |-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk | \=================================================================/

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

On 04 Jun 2025, John Rumm wrote

On 04/06/2025 10:24, Andy Burns wrote:

Jack Harry Teesdale wrote:

Thanks Andy control+ seems to work.

colour me surprised that ctrl-zero didn't then ...

Might be that "Jack's normal" was slightly zoomed in, so actual
normal seemed small.

(CTRL + Mouse wheel also adjusts the zoom)

Re: the subject line:

I'm pretty sure font size and zoom controls are down to whatever
newsreader (didn't that used to be a "news client"?) is being used;
I don't think it has anything to do with the EternalSeptember end of
things.

I use a (now-ancient) newsreader, XNews, which as far as I can tell
has no option to change (let alone zoom) the font size.

--
Cheers, Harvey

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

On Thu, 05 Jun 2025 12:15:38 +0100
HVS <office@REMOVETHISwhhvs.co.uk> wrote:

On 04 Jun 2025, John Rumm wrote

On 04/06/2025 10:24, Andy Burns wrote:

Jack Harry Teesdale wrote:

Thanks Andy control+ seems to work.

colour me surprised that ctrl-zero didn't then ...

Might be that "Jack's normal" was slightly zoomed in, so actual
normal seemed small.

(CTRL + Mouse wheel also adjusts the zoom)

Re: the subject line:

I'm pretty sure font size and zoom controls are down to whatever
newsreader (didn't that used to be a "news client"?) is being used;
I don't think it has anything to do with the EternalSeptember end of
things.

I think they were always called newsreaders, but since news is mostly
read using email clients, that doesn't strictly apply now.

I use a (now-ancient) newsreader, XNews, which as far as I can tell
has no option to change (let alone zoom) the font size.

No, nntp is like email, it is characters only which are sent, as it
dates from the days when even text characters taxed modems somewhat. It
is the client, the desktop environment and the window manager which
between them sort out the visual display. The client should have
overriding control of font issues.

All this assumes, of course, that it is not embedded HTML which is
being viewed, and the CTRL options of Mozilla applications should still
work on that.

--
Joe

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
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On Thu, 5 Jun 2025 13:23:19 +0100
The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> wrote:

On 05/06/2025 12:15, HVS wrote:

I use a (now-ancient) newsreader, XNews, which as far as I can tell
has no option to change (let alone zoom) the font size.

Almost certainly not.
Thunderbird however is a fully MIME compliant email client and can
have its defaults mucked around with almost indefinitely. It is
infested and overgrown with that dreaded weed, creeping featurism,
and needs a big dose of weedkiller after every new release

So use Claws if you don't need calendars etc. It's not feature-free but
it's dramatically faster than TB, which is why I switched.

--
Joe

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

On 05/06/2025 12:15, HVS wrote:

On 04 Jun 2025, John Rumm wrote

On 04/06/2025 10:24, Andy Burns wrote:

Jack Harry Teesdale wrote:

Thanks Andy control+ seems to work.

colour me surprised that ctrl-zero didn't then ...

Might be that "Jack's normal" was slightly zoomed in, so actual
normal seemed small.

(CTRL + Mouse wheel also adjusts the zoom)

Re: the subject line:

I'm pretty sure font size and zoom controls are down to whatever
newsreader (didn't that used to be a "news client"?) is being used;
I don't think it has anything to do with the EternalSeptember end of
things.

Usenet is an ASCII text only protocol. Even things like å are not
strictly supported. They slip by because extended character sets can be
slipped through as 8 bit text.
Specifically HTML/MIME markup is not officially supported, so forget
bold, underline. italic, font set, font size, colour or anything else.

It was designed to be displayed on a VT100 terminal

I use a (now-ancient) newsreader, XNews, which as far as I can tell
has no option to change (let alone zoom) the font size.

Almost certainly not.
Thunderbird however is a fully MIME compliant email client and can have
its defaults mucked around with almost indefinitely. It is infested and overgrown with that dreaded weed, creeping featurism, and needs a big
dose of weedkiller after every new release


--
Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's
too dark to read.

Groucho Marx

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
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On 04/06/2025 10:24, Andy Burns wrote:

Jack Harry Teesdale wrote:

Thanks Andy control+ seems to work.

colour me surprised that ctrl-zero didn't then ...

Control+ actually works on other programmes besides Eternal September too.

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

HVS wrote:

I'm pretty sure font size and zoom controls are down to whatever
newsreader (didn't that used to be a "news client"?) is being used;

Yes, though it's pretty common across various software, but I (and
likely other people) looked at Jack's headers to check that he was using
TB before replying ...

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
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On 03/06/2025 19:23, The Natural Philosopher wrote:

On 03/06/2025 18:39, Jack Harry Teesdale wrote:

Suddenly my newsreader is showing messages in very small font size and
I don't understand why.

It is nothing I have knowingly done to cause it.

Thunderbird upgrade probably

I am aware font sizes can be changed in settings but when I do that it
just alters the font size for the message I am viewing and then
reverts to very small for the next.

Can the panel suggest how I might remedy this as my eyes are straining
to read the wisdom herein.

Ctrl Scroll sets the size of the current window

TIA Jack Harry

Thanks to all for your suggestions, they will save me from a trip to Specsavers.

JH

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

On 05/06/2025 12:15, HVS wrote:

On 04 Jun 2025, John Rumm wrote

On 04/06/2025 10:24, Andy Burns wrote:

Jack Harry Teesdale wrote:

Thanks Andy control+ seems to work.

colour me surprised that ctrl-zero didn't then ...

Might be that "Jack's normal" was slightly zoomed in, so actual
normal seemed small.

(CTRL + Mouse wheel also adjusts the zoom)

Re: the subject line:

I'm pretty sure font size and zoom controls are down to whatever
newsreader (didn't that used to be a "news client"?) is being used;
I don't think it has anything to do with the EternalSeptember end of
things.

That is correct... although I did have a look at the User-Agent: header
of his post to deduce he was using Thunderbird, and so gave instructions
for that.



--
Cheers,

John.

/=================================================================\
| Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk | |-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk | \=================================================================/

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

On 05/06/2025 18:11, Jack Harry Teesdale wrote:

On 04/06/2025 10:24, Andy Burns wrote:

Jack Harry Teesdale wrote:

Thanks Andy control+ seems to work.

colour me surprised that ctrl-zero didn't then ...

Control+ actually works on other programmes besides Eternal September too.

As does Ctrl-Scrollwheel, at least in this Linux, desktop
--
"I guess a rattlesnake ain't risponsible fer bein' a rattlesnake, but ah
puts mah heel on um jess the same if'n I catches him around mah chillun".

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
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On 11/06/2025 14:39, Scott wrote:

On Tue, 3 Jun 2025 18:39:29 +0100, Jack Harry Teesdale <noreply492000-medic@yahoo.co.uk> wrote:

Suddenly my newsreader is showing messages in very small font size and I
don't understand why.

It is nothing I have knowingly done to cause it.

I am aware font sizes can be changed in settings but when I do that it
just alters the font size for the message I am viewing and then reverts
to very small for the next.

Can the panel suggest how I might remedy this as my eyes are straining
to read the wisdom herein.

https://news.individual.net/

Not very helpful but thanks anyway.

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

On Wed, 11 Jun 2025 15:02:19 +0100, Jack Harry Teesdale <noreply492000-medic@yahoo.co.uk> wrote:

On 11/06/2025 14:39, Scott wrote:

On Tue, 3 Jun 2025 18:39:29 +0100, Jack Harry Teesdale
<noreply492000-medic@yahoo.co.uk> wrote:

Suddenly my newsreader is showing messages in very small font size and I >>> don't understand why.

It is nothing I have knowingly done to cause it.

I am aware font sizes can be changed in settings but when I do that it
just alters the font size for the message I am viewing and then reverts
to very small for the next.

Can the panel suggest how I might remedy this as my eyes are straining
to read the wisdom herein.

https://news.individual.net/

Not very helpful but thanks anyway.

I used ES with a lot of problems then changed to NIN at 10 Euros per
year with virtually no problems. My granny used to say 'you get what
you pay for'.

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

On Tue, 3 Jun 2025 18:39:29 +0100, Jack Harry Teesdale <noreply492000-medic@yahoo.co.uk> wrote:

Suddenly my newsreader is showing messages in very small font size and I >don't understand why.

It is nothing I have knowingly done to cause it.

I am aware font sizes can be changed in settings but when I do that it
just alters the font size for the message I am viewing and then reverts
to very small for the next.

Can the panel suggest how I might remedy this as my eyes are straining
to read the wisdom herein.

https://news.individual.net/

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

On 11 Jun 2025 at 14:10:36, Scott <newsgroups@gefion.myzen.co.uk> wrote:

On Wed, 11 Jun 2025 15:02:19 +0100, Jack Harry Teesdale <noreply492000-medic@yahoo.co.uk> wrote:

On 11/06/2025 14:39, Scott wrote:

On Tue, 3 Jun 2025 18:39:29 +0100, Jack Harry Teesdale
<noreply492000-medic@yahoo.co.uk> wrote:

Suddenly my newsreader is showing messages in very small font size and I >>>> don't understand why.

It is nothing I have knowingly done to cause it.

I am aware font sizes can be changed in settings but when I do that it >>>> just alters the font size for the message I am viewing and then reverts >>>> to very small for the next.

Can the panel suggest how I might remedy this as my eyes are straining >>>> to read the wisdom herein.

https://news.individual.net/

Not very helpful but thanks anyway.

I used ES with a lot of problems then changed to NIN at 10 Euros per
year with virtually no problems. My granny used to say 'you get what
you pay for'.

I've been with NIN for more than 12 years with nary a hiccup.

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

On 6/12/2025 7:33 AM, Bob Martin wrote:

On 11 Jun 2025 at 14:10:36, Scott <newsgroups@gefion.myzen.co.uk> wrote:

On Wed, 11 Jun 2025 15:02:19 +0100, Jack Harry Teesdale
<noreply492000-medic@yahoo.co.uk> wrote:

On 11/06/2025 14:39, Scott wrote:

On Tue, 3 Jun 2025 18:39:29 +0100, Jack Harry Teesdale
<noreply492000-medic@yahoo.co.uk> wrote:

Suddenly my newsreader is showing messages in very small font size and I >>>>> don't understand why.

It is nothing I have knowingly done to cause it.

I am aware font sizes can be changed in settings but when I do that it >>>>> just alters the font size for the message I am viewing and then reverts >>>>> to very small for the next.

Can the panel suggest how I might remedy this as my eyes are straining >>>>> to read the wisdom herein.

https://news.individual.net/

Not very helpful but thanks anyway.

I used ES with a lot of problems then changed to NIN at 10 Euros per
year with virtually no problems. My granny used to say 'you get what
you pay for'.

I've been with NIN for more than 12 years with nary a hiccup.

As have I.

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

On Wed, 6/11/2025 10:02 AM, Jack Harry Teesdale wrote:

On 11/06/2025 14:39, Scott wrote:

On Tue, 3 Jun 2025 18:39:29 +0100, Jack Harry Teesdale
<noreply492000-medic@yahoo.co.uk> wrote:

Suddenly my newsreader is showing messages in very small font size and I >>> don't understand why.

It is nothing I have knowingly done to cause it.

I am aware font sizes can be changed in settings but when I do that it
just alters the font size for the message I am viewing and then reverts
to very small for the next.

Can the panel suggest how I might remedy this as my eyes are straining
to read the wisdom herein.

https://news.individual.net/

Not very helpful but thanks anyway.

The font size is not a function of the news server that serves the content.

That is a local rendering issue.

There is a setting in Mozilla Thunderbird, that changes the
UserAgent line so that it dumps the details of exactly *which*
Thunderbird you are using. The symptoms suggest a relatively
modern one, where a lot of rewriting and messing around have
occurred.

Config Editor

mailnews.headers.useMinimalUserAgent Boolean false <=== Double-click the line to toggle it

If you right-click where the Menu bar used to be

File Edit View Go Message tools Help

then there is a right-click menu where you can put a tick box by "Menu Bar"
and that turns on the Menu bar. The Help item on the Menu bar
then has "About Thunderbird". That produces some information
but perhaps not as much as the UserAgent.

There is Card View

There is the ctrl-scroll-wheel for changing text size.

These are unlikely to be the cause.

I'm just writing this while I wait for the backup on the Test Machine
to finish. It has at least one TB candidate on it, to look at.

In Settings-Wheel, scrolling down just a bit shows Fonts and Colors,
and the Default Font choice of <blank> is surely weird, and
the font size of 9 is a bit small. But of course, we have no idea,
no idea at all, what part of the interface these settings might affect.
There's always some part of it that might be in userChrome.css .
There is, in addition, an Advanced button, in the font choice here.

[Picture]

https://i.postimg.cc/3xyhsFbk/font-thunderbird-128-11-ESR.gif

In the modern Thunderbird, some text processing involves translating
from plaintext to HTML to plaintext to HTML (a form of wash, rinse, repeat), which makes the staff feel better apparently. Whether that fits into
some font sizing problem, who knows.

Paul

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
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https://news.individual.net/

Not very helpful but thanks anyway.

I used ES with a lot of problems then changed to NIN at 10 Euros per
year with virtually no problems. My granny used to say 'you get what
you pay for'.

I've been with NIN for more than 12 years with nary a hiccup.

NIN is good, but it has zero influence over the font size that
thunderbird uses ...

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

On 11/06/2025 15:10, Scott wrote:

On Wed, 11 Jun 2025 15:02:19 +0100, Jack Harry Teesdale <noreply492000-medic@yahoo.co.uk> wrote:

On 11/06/2025 14:39, Scott wrote:

On Tue, 3 Jun 2025 18:39:29 +0100, Jack Harry Teesdale
<noreply492000-medic@yahoo.co.uk> wrote:

Suddenly my newsreader is showing messages in very small font size and I >>>> don't understand why.

It is nothing I have knowingly done to cause it.

I am aware font sizes can be changed in settings but when I do that it >>>> just alters the font size for the message I am viewing and then reverts >>>> to very small for the next.

Can the panel suggest how I might remedy this as my eyes are straining >>>> to read the wisdom herein.

https://news.individual.net/

Not very helpful but thanks anyway.

I used ES with a lot of problems then changed to NIN at 10 Euros per
year with virtually no problems. My granny used to say 'you get what
you pay for'.

I have been using ES without problems for many years and encountered
this when I changed to a new laptop. Another poster has provided the
solution so I can continue to use ES without the need for another
provider. Thanks

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

On 12/06/2025 09:53, Paul wrote:

On Wed, 6/11/2025 10:02 AM, Jack Harry Teesdale wrote:

On 11/06/2025 14:39, Scott wrote:

On Tue, 3 Jun 2025 18:39:29 +0100, Jack Harry Teesdale
<noreply492000-medic@yahoo.co.uk> wrote:

Suddenly my newsreader is showing messages in very small font size and I >>>> don't understand why.

It is nothing I have knowingly done to cause it.

I am aware font sizes can be changed in settings but when I do that it >>>> just alters the font size for the message I am viewing and then reverts >>>> to very small for the next.

Can the panel suggest how I might remedy this as my eyes are straining >>>> to read the wisdom herein.

https://news.individual.net/

Not very helpful but thanks anyway.

The font size is not a function of the news server that serves the content.

That is a local rendering issue.

There is a setting in Mozilla Thunderbird, that changes the
UserAgent line so that it dumps the details of exactly *which*
Thunderbird you are using. The symptoms suggest a relatively
modern one, where a lot of rewriting and messing around have
occurred.

Config Editor

mailnews.headers.useMinimalUserAgent Boolean false <=== Double-click the line to toggle it

If you right-click where the Menu bar used to be

File Edit View Go Message tools Help

then there is a right-click menu where you can put a tick box by "Menu Bar" and that turns on the Menu bar. The Help item on the Menu bar
then has "About Thunderbird". That produces some information
but perhaps not as much as the UserAgent.

There is Card View

There is the ctrl-scroll-wheel for changing text size.

These are unlikely to be the cause.

I'm just writing this while I wait for the backup on the Test Machine
to finish. It has at least one TB candidate on it, to look at.

In Settings-Wheel, scrolling down just a bit shows Fonts and Colors,
and the Default Font choice of <blank> is surely weird, and
the font size of 9 is a bit small. But of course, we have no idea,
no idea at all, what part of the interface these settings might affect. There's always some part of it that might be in userChrome.css .
There is, in addition, an Advanced button, in the font choice here.

[Picture]

https://i.postimg.cc/3xyhsFbk/font-thunderbird-128-11-ESR.gif

In the modern Thunderbird, some text processing involves translating
from plaintext to HTML to plaintext to HTML (a form of wash, rinse, repeat), which makes the staff feel better apparently. Whether that fits into
some font sizing problem, who knows.

Paul

Thanks for the info, but Control+ has solved the issue for me.

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

On Thu, 6/12/2025 8:05 AM, Jack Harry Teesdale wrote:

Thanks for the info, but Control+ has solved the issue for me.

Control-scroll-wheel
control +
control -
control 0 <=== In some graphics contexts, this returns the screen to normal text size.

Paul

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
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