diff --git a/src/servers/app/ServerApp.cpp b/src/servers/app/ServerApp.cpp
index b08a08e53c..b77af29b97 100644
--- a/src/servers/app/ServerApp.cpp
+++ b/src/servers/app/ServerApp.cpp
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@
  *		Axel Dörfler, axeld@pinc-software.de
  *		Jérôme Duval, jerome.duval@free.fr
  *		Andrej Spielmann, <andrej.spielmann@seh.ox.ac.uk>
+ *		Philippe Saint-Pierre, stpere@gmail.com
  */
 
 /*!
@@ -123,6 +124,14 @@ ServerApp::ServerApp(Desktop* desktop, port_id clientReplyPort,
 	fInitialWorkspace = desktop->CurrentWorkspace();
 		// TODO: this should probably be retrieved when the app is loaded!
 
+	// record the current system wide fonts..
+	desktop->LockSingleWindow();
+	DesktopSettings settings(desktop);
+	settings.GetDefaultPlainFont(fPlainFont);
+	settings.GetDefaultBoldFont(fBoldFont);
+	settings.GetDefaultFixedFont(fFixedFont);
+	desktop->UnlockSingleWindow();
+
 	STRACE(("ServerApp %s:\n", Signature()));
 	STRACE(("\tBApp port: %ld\n", fClientReplyPort));
 	STRACE(("\tReceiver port: %ld\n", fMessagePort));
@@ -1125,6 +1134,7 @@ ServerApp::_DispatchMessage(int32 code, BPrivate::LinkReceiver& link)
 
 		case AS_SET_SYSTEM_FONT:
 		{
+			FTRACE(("ServerApp %s: AS_SET_SYSTEM_FONT\n", Signature()));
 			// gets:
 			//	1) string - font type ("plain", ...)
 			//	2) string - family
@@ -1152,6 +1162,7 @@ ServerApp::_DispatchMessage(int32 code, BPrivate::LinkReceiver& link)
 
 					LockedDesktopSettings settings(fDesktop);
 
+					// TODO: Should we also update our internal copies now?
 					if (!strcmp(type, "plain"))
 						settings.SetDefaultPlainFont(font);
 					else if (!strcmp(type, "bold"))
@@ -1215,31 +1226,41 @@ ServerApp::_DispatchMessage(int32 code, BPrivate::LinkReceiver& link)
 				break;
 			}
 
+			// The client is requesting the system fonts, this
+			// could happend either at application start up, or
+			// because the client is resyncing with the global
+			// fonts. So we record the current system wide fonts
+			// into our own copies at this point.
 			DesktopSettings settings(fDesktop);
+
+			settings.GetDefaultPlainFont(fPlainFont);
+			settings.GetDefaultBoldFont(fBoldFont);
+			settings.GetDefaultFixedFont(fFixedFont);
+
 			fLink.StartMessage(B_OK);
 
 			for (int32 i = 0; i < 3; i++) {
-				ServerFont font;
+				ServerFont* font;
 				switch (i) {
 					case 0:
-						settings.GetDefaultPlainFont(font);
+						font = &fPlainFont;
 						fLink.AttachString("plain");
 						break;
 					case 1:
-						settings.GetDefaultBoldFont(font);
+						font = &fBoldFont;
 						fLink.AttachString("bold");
 						break;
 					case 2:
-						settings.GetDefaultFixedFont(font);
+						font = &fFixedFont;
 						fLink.AttachString("fixed");
 						break;
 				}
 
-				fLink.Attach<uint16>(font.FamilyID());
-				fLink.Attach<uint16>(font.StyleID());
-				fLink.Attach<float>(font.Size());
-				fLink.Attach<uint16>(font.Face());
-				fLink.Attach<uint32>(font.Flags());
+				fLink.Attach<uint16>(font->FamilyID());
+				fLink.Attach<uint16>(font->StyleID());
+				fLink.Attach<float>(font->Size());
+				fLink.Attach<uint16>(font->Face());
+				fLink.Attach<uint32>(font->Flags());
 			}
 
 			fDesktop->UnlockSingleWindow();
diff --git a/src/servers/app/ServerApp.h b/src/servers/app/ServerApp.h
index edad8997fd..f35406b0e0 100644
--- a/src/servers/app/ServerApp.h
+++ b/src/servers/app/ServerApp.h
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@
 
 #include "ClientMemoryAllocator.h"
 #include "MessageLooper.h"
+#include "ServerFont.h"
 
 #include <ObjectList.h>
 #include <TokenSpace.h>
@@ -84,6 +85,8 @@ class ServerApp : public MessageLooper {
 
 			Desktop*			GetDesktop() const { return fDesktop; }
 
+			const ServerFont&	PlainFont() const { return fPlainFont; }
+
 			BPrivate::BTokenSpace& ViewTokens() { return fViewTokens; }
 
  private:
@@ -111,6 +114,10 @@ class ServerApp : public MessageLooper {
 			BString				fSignature;
 			team_id				fClientTeam;
 
+			ServerFont			fPlainFont;
+			ServerFont			fBoldFont;
+			ServerFont			fFixedFont;
+
 	mutable	BLocker				fWindowListLock;
 			BObjectList<ServerWindow> fWindowList;
 			BPrivate::BTokenSpace fViewTokens;
diff --git a/src/servers/app/ServerWindow.cpp b/src/servers/app/ServerWindow.cpp
index 83e11ada4e..23fdfbdba1 100644
--- a/src/servers/app/ServerWindow.cpp
+++ b/src/servers/app/ServerWindow.cpp
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@
  *		Stefano Ceccherini (burton666@libero.it)
  *		Axel Dörfler, axeld@pinc-software.de
  *		Artur Wyszynski <harakash@gmail.com>
+ *		Philippe Saint-Pierre, stpere@gmail.com
  */
 
 /*!
@@ -618,11 +619,14 @@ fDesktop->LockAllWindows();
 //		fDesktop->LockSingleWindow();
 	}
 
-	// TODO: default fonts should be created and stored in the Application
-	DesktopSettings settings(fDesktop);
-	ServerFont font;
-	settings.GetDefaultPlainFont(font);
-	newView->CurrentState()->SetFont(font);
+	// Initialize the view with the current application plain font.
+	// NOTE: This might be out of sync with the global app_server plain
+	// font, but that is so on purpose! The client needs to resync itself
+	// with the app_server fonts upon notification, but if we just use
+	// the current font here, the be_plain_font on the client may still
+	// hold old values. So this needs to be an update initiated by the
+	// client application.
+	newView->CurrentState()->SetFont(App()->PlainFont());
 
 	if (_parent) {
 		View *parent;