Maybe you didn't know that fonts are quite the creature. Maybe you didn't know there was more involved in a font than whether or not there was a serif. Did you know fonts have cap heights, x-heights, baselines, bowls, stems, finials, terminals, ascenders, descenders, spines and crossbars? The various elements in a particular font give that font character. The reason Verdana looks different and is used differently than Times New Roman is not the serif/sans-serif question alone. Have a look at this simple diagram:
The cap height refers to distance from the baseline to the top of the capital letter. This is what determines the point size of a font. So, when you are picking a size of a font, e.g. 12 or 14 point, you are actually picking a size based on the capital letters of the font. The x-height is the height of the lowercase letters. The ascenders and descenders take into account letters like f, p, g, etc. And I could go on boring you with the details.
I guess these elements are more important in detail for those who make fonts, or those of us who would be considered nerdy or geeky by those who couldn't give a rats hind-quarters as long as the font looks good. But, I always think it better to know than not to. If you would like to get more information on fonts and typography, I recommend Ellen Lupton's Thinking With Type. Quite a valuable text in my opinion.
All that to say there is more that differentiates Verdana from Times New Roman than the simple serif. There is more to a good font than meets the eye at first.
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