Re: [Freetype] EOT support wanted, as well as PFR.

[David Turner]

Hello,

Kang Jeong-Hee wrote:
> Hi.
> 
> I have a plan for browser engine, http://gybe.sf.net/
> and am willing to support webfont for gybe.
> 
> GTK+ 2 uses Xft and Xft is client-side font architecture.
> so webfont -- font manipulation at runtime -- is possible.
> 
Hummm... I was under the impression that installing new
font files at runtime wasn't possible with fontconfig/Xft ?

If true, this would prevent you from doing anything useful
regarding "web fonts".

Any expert advice on the subject ?

> I suppose the routine to add font on list is simple:
>  1. parse css and markup
>  2. take the font url
>  3. get font online
>  4. load and parse by freetype or higher level.
> 
Again, I'm not so sure that this will be so simple if
you want to use the new downloaded font from a GTK2
application, which doesn't use FreeType directly but
through higher-level libraries
(GTK => Pango => libXft => FreeType)

> but http://freetype.sourceforge.net/freetype2/index.html#features
> does not list EOT, while PFR is on list.
> 
> every webfonts I've ever seen, however, are EOT, not PFR.
> so this idea might be in vain, if freetype does not support EOT.
> 
> do you have EOT on wish list?
>
The EOT specification is not available publicly, there is thus
no way we're going to support it in FreeType. Besides, I wouldn't
be surprised if it wasn't protected by any sort of stupid patent
which would prevent us from using anything we write :-)

By the way, the PFR specification is publicly available, but
BitStream holds two key patents that cover:

  - PFR font file generation (US 5,577,177)
  - PFR font hinting         (US 5,099,435)

the current FreeType code doesn't infrige on them, but the first
patent is certainly not an incentive to create more fonts in this
format (there are also legal issues regarding the legibility of
the converted fonts, depending on their license)

The format is however required by a number of Digital TV
specifications

Ah, well, I don't have the time to add this to the FT2 web pages..


Regards,

- David Turner
- The FreeType Project  (www.freetype.org)


--
This message and any attachments (the "message") is intended solely for the
addressees and is confidential. If you receive this message in error, please
delete it and immediately notify the sender.
Any use not in accordance with its purpose, any dissemination or disclosure,
either whole or partial, is prohibited except formal approval.
The E-Mail transmission can not guarantee the integrity of this message.
CANAL+TECHNOLOGIES will not therefore be liable for the message if modified.