[pmb]

1pt is a unit of length. One point is 1/72 of an inch. It should be the same height now that it ever was, even on old monitors.

[gurkendoktor]

My 24" screen is probably further from my face than my 15" screen used to be (not least because the 15" screen almost completely covered my desk by itself).

[Too]

Not in CSS, 1pt is always x pixels regardless of how many DPI you have.

[steveax]

Nope, it's way more complicated than that. Device pixels, CSS pixels, a pixel is not a pixel. PPK on the subject:

http://fronteers.nl/congres/2012/sessions/a-pixel-is-not-a-p...

Points are a terrible unit for specifying font sizes for the screen. Use px or proportional units (em, percentages, etc.). Points are for print, not screen.

[bradwestness]

Yeah using pt works too. The problem is that everyone uses 12px in their CSS rather than 12pt.

[dchest]

See http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5268526