Every now and then Microsoft releases an update for Visual Studio that arrives with little or no fanfare, and the latest example is the Consolas font package. According to Microsoft, “Consolas is intended for use in programming environments and other circumstances where a monospaced font is specified.”
Consolas is specifically designed for ClearType, Microsoft’s advanced font-smoothing/anti-aliasing technology found in Windows XP and Windows Server 2003. According to the licensing terms, Consolas is only available to licensed users of Visual Studio 2005. Of course, the font would be useful in many other environments. When you install the package, it changes the default text editor font in Visual Studio 2005 to Consolas.
I’ve only spent a day with Consolas, but so far I like it. You will probably need to adjust your ClearType settings with the ClearType Tuner to avoid having the font appear either too light or too dark. ClearType is mainly intended for LCD screens, but I’m using it on a CRT with good results too.
