The Letter S, by Donald Knuth (1980) [pdf] | Hacker News

A Hacker News discussion revisits Donald Knuth’s 1980 note on the challenges of designing the letter S for TeX-era typography.

The post highlights early limitations in type design and how tools like METAFONT and Bézier curves changed the workflow.

It also connects Knuth’s work to later systems such as Computers and Typesetting and AMS Euler, which helped improve math font design.

The discussion underscores the lasting influence of TeX on digital typography and typeface creation.