Re: Why dose art not use fontconfig?

[Jesse Ross]

> > I would argue the reverse -- make the initial font conversion a
> > virtually invisible process initially, something that doesn't require
> > any additional user interaction, as painless as just dragging a font
> > into the Font Manager window or clicking the + button on the bottom
> > of the window and selecting the font.
>
> As I mentioned, it's not just what's in the plist but what's in the  
> package.
> An automatic process cannot collect a font family correctly, so  
> it's something
> that needs a human being able to make decisions.
>
> After all, isn't that what a computer is FOR? It does the grunt  
> work, you make
> the decisions. :)

Yep -- totally agree. But for quick and dirty, single font installs  
(the kind that the great percentage of people who are not designers/ 
typographers would be doing), wrapping up that single font into an  
nfont without asking any questions is probably the right route to go.

I see three easy solutions for how to generate a multi-font family  
using Font Manager:

1) If the user drags in multiple fonts, ask the user if they would  
like to package them as a single font entry, and have them provide a  
name for the family

2) If fonts are already in Font Manager and the user wants to make  
them a single font family, they can:

  a) drag one font onto another font to automatically create a family
  b) select multiple fonts and select a menu item named something  
like Edit > Create Family from Selected Fonts

In all three cases, Font Manager should be smart enough to see where  
the names overlap and use that as the family name (ie: if I have  
"Helvetica Extra Black", "Helvetica Ultra Light" and "Helvetica  
Thin", name the family "Helvetica"). If there is no name overlap, ask  
for a name. That name should be easily edited from within Font  
Manager, from both right in the main font list panel and in a  
separate "font editing" UI (allowing me to do something like change  
the name to "Helvetica Neue" from "Helvetica", should I choose).


Just to be clear, I agree that having good typography, and good tools  
for designers is important. I am a designer, and believe me, I  
wouldn't be involved in the project if I didn't think it was. I just  
want to make sure that we're not turning the process of installing a  
font into an interactive question and answer session when it doesn't  
seem like it has to be. The truth is, the great majority of people  
who would use GNUstep/Etoile would likely never be concerned with how  
their fonts are grouped together... and I don't want to slow up their  
lives by forcing them through a package editing process every time  
they add a new font.


J.