system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: Why is the lowercase 'a' we type different to the 'α' I write by hand?
gpt
Partly because of old printing presses with handset type. The lettering used on old presses could become worn, making that a look like an o, or vice versa. By using the a we know in common typefaces today readers could easily distinguish between an actual a and a worn o.