Linux Mint and IntelliJ IDEA - fonts settings

linux-mint-intellij-fonts.txt

DISCLAIMER: Use the following instructions at your own risk!

Tested with: Linux Mint 17 Cinnamon 64-bit, IntelliJ IDEA 13.1

I. Setup Linux Mint system fonts

1. Execute in terminal:
sudo apt-get install fonts-droid

2. Go to System Settings -> Appearance -> Fonts:
Select the following fonts: Droid Sans/Droid Sans/Droid Sans Mono/Droid Sans Bold.
For fonts settings select Rgba/Full.

II. Setup IntelliJ IDEA fonts:

1. Edit the vmoptions file:
- for 32 bit version: <idea root folder>/bin/idea.vmoptions
- for 64 bit version: <idea root folder>/bin/idea64.vmoptions

Add the following lines at the end of the file:

-Dawt.useSystemAAFontSettings=lcd
-Dswing.aatext=true
-Dsun.java2d.xrender=true

(You probably have the first line already, no need to have it twice.)

2. Download the Oracle JDK for your platform. Some folks don't want to install it, and it is 
NOT NECESSARY to do so. Just extract the tar.gz file somewhere and add the following line
at the beginning of your idea.sh script:

IDEA_JDK=”<extraction folder path>/jdk#.#.#_##″

So, the IDEA itself will run using the Oracle JDK (and its fonts-optimized implementation)
 and your system will continue its use of the installed [Open]JDK.

3. In the IntelliJ IDEA, go to Settings -> Appearance:
Check "Override default fonts by (not recommended)".
Select Droid Sans from the drop-down list.

4. Go to Settings -> Editor -> Colors & Fonts -> Font:
Uncheck "Show only monospaced fonts".
Select Droid Sans Mono from the drop-down list.

5. Go to Settings -> Editor -> Colors & Fonts -> Console font:
Uncheck "Show only monospaced fonts".
Select Droid Sans Mono from the drop-down list.

6. Restart IntelliJ IDEA.

For all settings: select font size that provides best readability on your monitor.

Enjoy!