[Stenzel]

I agree with the article, but the arguments the author gives are not quite spot-on. Ligatures render code unreadable, there is no way to see how to enter a particular character sequence that is shown as a ligature. They might beautify code for some individuals, but they should never be used for showing code in an public or explanatory context, like on the web. Some operators are no longer recognisable, a few just look wrong - a clear case where simplicity and functionality is sacrificed for style.

[Libbum]

> they should never be used for showing code in an public or explanatory context

This I can definitely agree with.

The readability issue, in my opinion, is fine and coarse grained.

If I'm scanning my own code, having ligatures on is quicker for me to understand and is ultimately more readable. But (and this is a large but), when editing my own code, ligatures are useless and in the way. Thus I set my editor to remove all ligatures on active/highlighted lines.

[OJFord]

I do this too, and with other 'prettifiers' like indent line characters.

I use vim, so I find it great to have them in normal mode, and then disabled (set conceal =0) on entering insert mode.

[zimpenfish]

> they should never be used for showing code in an public or explanatory context, like on the web

Or a book like "The TeX Book"[1]?

[1] I believe it's done as pre-render replacement rather than in the font itself but the principle is the same.