RE: ASCII-only startup message?

[Drew Adams]

> What does `This' actually look like to you? Please post a screenshot.
> Or don't, because I can guess; I'm just emphasizing the importance of
> considering that these characters don't look the same to everyone.

The same is true for curly quotes (or nearly any other chars).
Different fonts can, and often do, show the same char differently.

Add to that the fact that different users have different needs.

Add to that the fact that different users have different notions
of beauty or accessibility or visual distinction, or different
perceptions.

Some will prefer one, for some contexts.  Some will prefer
another, for some contexts.  Some won't care.

> And most users, today, use fonts in which `This' does _not_ look fine,
> and 'This' looks much better.  

Define "look fine".  Define "looks much better".

Specify the tradeoffs between your "look fine/much better"
other conditions of usability.

The issue is not at all as simple as personal appreciation
of whether this or that "looks fine" (OK) or "looks much
better."