Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!iuvax!cica!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!ucbvax!pasteur!cory.Berkeley.EDU!soohoo
From: soohoo@cory.Berkeley.EDU (Ken "nmi" Soohoo)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st
Subject: Re: (none) GDOS & Outline Fonts
Keywords: GDOS, Outline Fonts
Message-ID: <18593@pasteur.Berkeley.EDU>
Date: 20 Oct 89 17:38:16 GMT
References: <8910200705.AA29700@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU> <1379@sdcc13.ucsd.edu>
Sender: news@pasteur.Berkeley.EDU
Reply-To: soohoo@cory.Berkeley.EDU.UUCP (Ken "nmi" Soohoo)
Organization: University of California, Berkeley
Lines: 45

In article <1379@sdcc13.ucsd.edu> pa1329@sdcc13.ucsd.edu (pa1329) writes:
>
>Why not some ST developers work together to develop a
>outline-font-based GDOS?   If the version can b e accepted by all
>developers as a standard, who cares what Atari think?   It can be
>used by any ST developers in their program, and Atari's attitude
>will not be a problem.
>Outline font technology has existed in the ST since pub. partner was
>released.  Meanwhile many other companies still struggle with the Atari
>GDOS.   There is no need to continue using that junk.

Yes, outline fonts are a really cool idea.
Yes, the are a whole HECK of a lot of work to implement.
Probably gonna be hard to convince the people who make Pub.Partner to
part with their outline fonts, as they are the only ones (that I know
of) out there... They pretty much corner the market.

So, who designs the fonts? Who do we get the fonts from, certainly not
Adobe... ;-}  And then, what about the algorithm for scaling, that's
worth a lot of money, people make their living off of that...

Ok, so if you want outline fonts, wouldn't it make a whole HECK of a lot
of sense to make the system GDOS compatible?  That way, all the existing
programs can continue to use fonts the way they always did...
BUT how do you fix programs like MicroSoft Write (and MANY others) that
inquire of the system what font sizes are available?

Here's the problem: Outline Fonts enable any point size to be created.
GDOS thinks only certain point sizes exist.  Thus _currently_ a program
polls to find out the sizes available, and limits the user to those
sizes.  As the Outline GDOS, what font sizes do you report on inquiry?
You've _really_ got _anything_, so why limit the system, but then how
does a program that allows the user to select from font sizes handle
the now unlimited number of sizes .  Certainly not in the current
schema of "pick a size", as they can legally pick _any_ size.

Anyway, just some thoughts on Outline Fonts and GDOS.
I'm really preassuming that the Outline GDOS must stay GDOS compatible
and not break existing software, otherwise, I suppose one could throw
out all the currently available GDOS software...

--Kenneth "kens" Soohoo				(soohoo@cory.Berkeley.Edu)
  Atari Hacker (Atari's Hacker...)
  "It could be worse, you could get hit by a bus..."
  My opinions are my OWN, _not_ necessarily Atari's. But "hey", who knows?