Re: [Freetype] what is the best format for fonts storage/distribution?

[Vadim Plessky]

On Tuesday 20 August 2002 8:08 pm, Leonard Rosenthol wrote:
|  At 2:06 PM +0400 8/20/02, Vadim Plessky wrote:
|  >a) why there are no fonts in OpenType formats?
|
|       Because only recently (Windows 2000 & Mac OS X) did the major
|  OS platforms start supporting it w/o the need for add-ons (eg. Adobe
|  Type Manager).

You need to install ATM 4.1, to be able to render OpenType under Windows 98.
(That's what I did yesterday... I had 4.0 before, and thought that it's 
more-less o.k.)
Problem with PostScript fonts, and OpenType fonts managed/rendered by ATM (in 
Windows): they are treated as *printer fonts* by MS Word 2000 (MS Office), 
and Word *doen't show* Cyrillic glyphs from such fonts.
Therefor, such solution (for Windows) is not suitable for me at all! :-)

|
|  >b) why Monotype decided to offer new fonts in PostScript format only?
|
|       Good question!!  Personally it seems like a backwards move to
|  me, since everyone (including Adobe!) is moving to TTF/OTF.
|
|  >But as nowone (from major commercial font vendors) ships OpenType fonts
|
|       Adobe is shipping ALL NEW FONTS as OpenType, as well as going
|  back and redoing many of their most popular faces as Extended
|  OpenType (with all the ligatures, etc.)
|

I did some further research.

About Adobe:

I have checked 
http://www.adobe.com/support/downloads/main.html
and Type -> Type downloads
http://www.adobe.com/support/downloads/detail.jsp?ftpID=190

It seems those fonts are in PostScript Type1 format (not OpenType)
And there is no option to download TrueType or OpenType versions...

URW++ also ships font sin TrueType and PostScript formats (no OpenType fonts!)

Check:
http://www.urwpp.de/english/angebot/angebot-set.htm
and:
http://www.urwpp.de/english/info/info_format.htm

But at least URW explain their position on packaging:
---------------------------------------------------------
Information for the selection of your font format

We supply fonts for the operating systems 
- PC Windows and
- Apple Macintosh
 
On PC Windows systems as well as on Macintosh systems you can use both 
TrueType and PostScript Type 1 Fonts.
Most MAC users prefer the PostScript Type 1 fonts.

In order to be able to use PostScript Type 1 fonts under Windows (except 
Windows NT), you need to have the software AdobeTypeManager (ATM) .
 
You can install TrueType fonts without additional software using system 
control.
 For this the ATM is not mandatory, however the organisation of the installed 
fonts is facilitated. This is also true for PostScript fonts on Macintosh.
---------------------------------------------------------
 

|  >I  have impressins that there is something wrong with OpenType.
|  >Or I miss something here?
|
|       Now that Win2K/ME/XP and Mac OS X are becoming the
|  mainstream, hopefully this will change.
|

Are you sure that  Windows ME supports OpenType?

BTW: I do not see that Win2k/XP get market share from Windows 98.
Win98/95 has about  75% share of all Windows system used, and WinNT/2000/XP - 
accounts just for 25%.
I do not say that it is Bad Thing or Good Thing.
I just provide facts. :-)

Therefor, it's unlikely OpenType will get acceptance soon (next 2-3 years). 
:-(
(as MacOS X is limited to PowerPC / Apple hardware, and Passport in WinXP is 
extremly annoying)

But we can try to promote it on Linux/UNIX'es, though

|
|  Leonard

Thanks for your answer,

and Best Regards!
-- 

Vadim Plessky
http://kde2.newmail.ru  (English)
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