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From: barnett@crdgw1.crd.ge.com (Bruce Barnett)
Newsgroups: comp.fonts,comp.lang.postscript
Subject: Re: Open Fonts
Message-ID: <30@crdgw1.crd.ge.com>
Date: 13 Mar 89 15:27:34 GMT
References: <26962@apple.Apple.COM> <25@crdgw1.crd.ge.com> <629@adobe.UUCP>
Sender: news@crdgw1.crd.ge.com
Reply-To: barnett@crdgw1.crd.ge.com (Bruce Barnett)
Followup-To: comp.fonts
Organization: GE Corp. R & D, Schenectady, NY
Lines: 88
In-reply-to: greid@adobe.com (Glenn Reid)

In article <629@adobe.UUCP>, greid@adobe (Glenn Reid) writes:
>[I've added comp.lang.postscript to the Newsgroups line.]

>Notice that Sun is not supplying fonts, but font technology.  The fonts
>will still come from the font vendors, who will be interested in
>protecting their outlines and in charging royalties.  I would be a bit
>surprised if the font format were not encrypted, and if it isn't, you
>might see great hesitation on the part of the font vendors in making
>their outlines available, since they can't be protected under current
>law.

From the press release:

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.-- March 6, 1989-- Sun Microsystems today reported
it has signed licensing agreements with five of the leading type
vendors in graphic arts and publishing:  Linotype AG, The Monotype
Corporation Plc., H. Berthold AG, ITC and the design studio of Bigelow
& Holmes.  The five vendors will license Sun's just-introduced
OpenFonts(TM) technology, thereby making a wide selection of brand-name
fonts available to developers and end-users in a non-proprietary
intelligent outline description called the F3(TM) format.

[]

The entire Linotype library will be converted to F3, using Sun's
TypeMaker, beginning with several hundred fonts within the year.  It
includes well-known typefaces like Times Roman(R) and Helvetica(R).
Linotype AG has also obtained the right to sublicense Sun's TypeScaler
software to OEMs for inclusion in printer controllers and window
servers.

--------------------
I said:

>>If I could get 100 new fonts for my workstation, and use them on
>>a LaserWriter and typesetter, and have the same environment for every
>>other workstation anywhere, I would be more likely to make use of those
>> fonts, instead of limiting myself to Helvetica, Courier, and Times.
>
>I think you're describing Display PostScript :-)

No, I am describing something much better. PostScript requires me to
get a license from Adobe using an Adobe product (e.g. a PostScript
printer, or Display PostScript).

OpenFonts can be used with any window system and any raster printer.
I can purchase the sources if I want, which is something I cannot do
with PostScript. Please correct me if I am wrong.


>Bear in mind that if you want these fonts to work on a LaserWriter and
>typesetter, that they must be in PostScript language form, because they
>understand only that.  Which brings up memory-se issues and the
>difficulties of producing good PostScript language fonts.  I don't know
>whether or not the Sun TypeScaling technology includes the PostScript
>language code, or just C code.


The package allows you to create a data format usable in any
reasonable computer language.  And is not restricted to PostScript. Or
to the Roman alphabet.

>I suspect that you will have to build a new ("clone") printer to take
>real advantage of this technology on printers.

I do not believe you need a "new" printer to make use of the technology.
Look at the PostScript printer on the NeXT machine. It is a PostScript
printer without the PostScript language.

I don't see why you can't have a LaserJet make use of an OpenFont.

> It will certainly be
>valuable in NeWS, however, which is probably why it was developed.

It was developed for raster devices by Folio. Sun purchased Folio.
I would guess that the original intention was for Laser Printers and
typesetters. Using this sort of technology for displays seems like
overkill. But I can get used to it. :-)

>Just thoughts,
>Glenn Reid
>Adobe Systems

And I appreciate them. Follow-up to comp.fonts.

--
	Bruce G. Barnett 	barnett@ge-crd.ARPA, barnett@steinmetz.ge.com
				uunet!steinmetz!barnett