Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!wuarchive!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!mips!pacbell.com!att!cbnews!djb From: djb@cbnews.att.com (David J. Bryant) Newsgroups: comp.windows.open-look Subject: Re: Lucida, and the OPEN LOOK Functional Specification Summary: Give me *unlimited* font selection... Message-ID: <1990Nov14.112943.28209@cbnews.att.com> Date: 14 Nov 90 11:29:43 GMT References: Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories Lines: 40 In article , sane!genmri!doug@crdgw1.ge.com (Doug Becker) writes: > Having determined that the default XView font is too small for our > application's needs, I'm investigating other fonts as candidates for > use in our application's user interface elements. > > I was surprised to find that the OPEN LOOK Functional Specification > appears to be quite lenient in terms of font selection for UI items. > In particular, the only relevant passage appears to be on page 5 > (Chapter 1), under Fonts: > > What is the general feeling about using a non-Lucida font in OPEN LOOK > UI items, especially a non-Lucida font that conforms to the spec, i.e. > is sans-serif and variable width? I want unlimited control of fonts in all Open Look UI items, including the freedom to use 8 *and* 16 bit fonts of any size. This should extend to encompass all text items belonging to the window manager, file manager, etc. My major reason is to support full internationalization of my applications, but even in an "all-American" setting I want to be able to adjust item sizing and appearance to suit, and also employ visual cues and typographic techniques without hard constraints from the Open Look spec or toolkits that support it. Some of the OLIT widgets allow arbitrary selection of 8-bit fonts, while others force Lucida. I'm looking forward to the internationalized toolkit environments giving me the even better font variability I need. After having worked with Open Look for over a year now and milked OLIT for all the font flexibility I can manage, I believe font freedom does not compromise the style, signature and superior UI aspects of Open Look. I should say, however, that I am wholeheartedly in favor of font guidelines in the spec so people can at least be aware of good interface design principles. (And we've all read the spec, right??) UUCP: att!cbosgd!djb David Bryant att!cborion!djb AT&T Bell Laboratories INTERNET: djb@cbosgd.att.com Room 1B-256 cborion!djb@att.com 6200 East Broad Street PHONE: (614) 860-4516 Columbus, Ohio 43213 FAX: (614) 868-4302