improving the look of Java Apps on Windows Vista

Use "FontFactory.build" instead of "new Font" and you will see a
remarkable improvement in your Java apps and Applications when run
under Windows Vista. It remaps the logical fonts to the best Vista
native fonts.

You can download this at http://mindprod.com/products1.html#COMMON11

It works in JDK 1.1+

package com.mindprod.common11;

import java.awt.Font;

/**
 * Modifies Java's logical font mapping
 *
 * @author Roedy Green, Canadian Mind Products
 * @version 1.0, 2008-08-20
 * Created with IntelliJ IDEA.
 */
public class FontFactory
    {
    // -------------------------- PUBLIC STATIC METHODS
--------------------------

    /**
     * Creates a new <code>Font</code> from the specified name, style
and
     * point size. Like new Font, but modifies the mapping of logical
fonts.
     * <p/>
     *
     * @param fontFamilyName the font name. This can be a font face
name or a font
     * family name, and may represent either a
logical font or a physical
     * font
     * The family names for logical fonts are:
Dialog, DialogInput,
     * Monospaced, Serif, or SansSerif.
     * @param style the style constant for the
<code>Font</code>
     * The style argument is an integer bitmask
that may
     * be PLAIN, or a bitwise union of BOLD
and/or ITALIC
     * (for example, ITALIC or BOLD|ITALIC).
     * @param size the point size of the <code>Font</code>
     * @return corresponding Font, with logical fonts remapped for
Windows Vista to new native high res fonts.
     */
    public static Font build( String fontFamilyName, final int style,
final int size )
        {
        String os = System.getProperty( "os.name", "unknown" );

        /* we meddle with Vista logical font mapping. Potentially we
could meddle with others.
         AIX
         Digital Unix
         FreeBSD
         HP UX
         Irix
         Linux
         Mac OS
         Mac OS X
         MPE/iX
         Netware 4.11
         OS/2
         Solaris
         Windows 2000
         Windows 95
         Windows 98
         Windows NT
         Windows Vista
         Windows XP
         */
        if ( os.equals( "Windows Vista" ) )
            {
            /* potentially meddle with various logical font mappings:
Dialog DialogInput Monospaced SansSerif Serif
              and adjust sizes. */
            if ( fontFamilyName.equals( "Dialog" ) )
                {
                fontFamilyName = "Segoe UI";
                }
            else if ( fontFamilyName.equals( "DialogInput" ) )
                {
                fontFamilyName = "Consolas";
                }

            else if ( fontFamilyName.equals( "Monospaced" ) )
                {
                fontFamilyName = "Consolas";
                }
            else if ( fontFamilyName.equals( "SanSerif" ) )
                {
                fontFamilyName = "Arial";
                }
            else if ( fontFamilyName.equals( "Serif" ) )
                {
                fontFamilyName = "Constantia";
                }
            }
        // we could also cache fonts, or weakly cache them.
        return new Font( fontFamilyName, style, size );
        }
    }
--

Roedy Green Canadian Mind Products
The Java Glossary
http://mindprod.com