Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Path: utzoo!mnetor!seismo!rutgers!im4u!ut-sally!utah-cs!utah-gr!uplherc!esunix!blgardne
From: blgardne@esunix.UUCP (Blaine Gardner)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: FastFonts 1.01 mini-review
Message-ID: <327@esunix.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 30-May-87 20:39:39 EDT
Article-I.D.: esunix.327
Posted: Sat May 30 20:39:39 1987
Date-Received: Tue, 2-Jun-87 02:51:15 EDT
Organization: Evans & Sutherland Computer Corporation
Lines: 62
Keywords: fastfonts setfont screenblanker funkeys


I received my FastFonts V1.01 upgrade last week, here's a mini-review.
 
First off, the notice that Microsmiths sent me said to allow 4-6 weeks
for the upgrade to arrive and I got it back in 8 days. Nice service! The
other nice point that needs to be mentioned is the upgrade was FREE. I
just had to mail Microsmiths my original disk.
 
First the bad news: FastFonts does NOT support a wide varity of fonts.
There are six fonts supplied with the program, and only one of those six
fonts can be used to replace Topaz. Even simple fonts like Pearl and
Clean are not accepted by FastFonts. For those that use interlace there
is a new version of FastFonts that uses Topaz 11.
 
In response to my complaint about the limited number of fonts accepted
by FastFonts, Dave Haynie's SetFont 2.0 is included on the disk.
 
So if your primary concern is changing the system font, give FastFonts a
miss, and get SetFont instead.
 
However, there are other reasons to purchase FastFonts. The text
acceleration works nicely, and the problem of text sometimes being
rendered into the wrong window has been fixed.
 
In addition to ScreenBlanker which DIMS the screen, there is also
ScreenBlanker2 which BLACKS the screen. I prefer the original, but now
you have the choice.
 
The best part of the package is FunKeys. FunKeys assigns the following
window manipulations to the function keys: 
	Activate Next
	Activate Front
	Window Back
	Window Forward
	Size Window
There are also NewCLI, Help, and Quit FunKeys, as well as two that can
be user defined. The activation key can be selected (Left Amiga, ctrl,
alt, etc) to avoid interference with other programs.
 
The Activate Next FunKey is worth the price of the entire package. There
are many programs that open a custom screen, but fail to put depth
gadgets on the screen. If you have one these programs running, and click
another screen (except for the Workbench) behind it, you will not be
able to get to that program until you exit the program that has no depth
gadgets. Amiga-N and Amiga-M will allow you to toggle the Workbench
screen, but there is nothing you can do about another custom screen.
 
The Funkeys "Activate Next" solves this problem. Every time you hit F2
another window or screen is brought to the front. If you have a lot of
windows open, you may have to hit it several times, but eventually the
custom screen that was inaccessable will pop to the front.
 
I would prefer a FunKey that would cycle through a list of screens,
rather than screens and windows, but that's a minor nit-pick.
 
Overall, I would recommend FastFonts, but the limited number of fonts
should have been fixed by rewriting FastFonts, not including a public
domain program.
-- 
Blaine Gardner @ Evans & Sutherland
UUCP Address:   {ihnp4,decvax}!decwrl!esunix!blgardne
Alternate:      {ihnp4,seismo}!utah-cs!utah-gr!uplherc!esunix!blgardne