From: Russell Marks (russell.marks@dtn.ntl.com)
Date: Mon 14 Feb 2000 - 19:31:41 IST
> > Experts on the widely-read linux-svgalib mailing list today suggested > > that TrueType fonts should be available in a single standard > > directory. A spokesman claimed that to think otherwise would be "kind > > of silly". > > Ouch! Well, f*ck _me_, then. Don't forget that TrueType was first > developed by Apple, so it's already cross-platform (to some degree). Ok. Please don't think this was a `fsck you'. It was a joke. It wasn't even really irony or sarcasm, it was just a fairly straight joke. > > Seriously, I think a better idea is to have a standard location (or, > > more likely, hierarchy) for fonts of *all* types. We'd certainly want > > to include Type 1 fonts, for example (commonly used by both X and > > ghostscript, at least). And it's all rather meaningless unless there's > > a) a standard set of free fonts you can be `sure' are going to be > > there (the URW Type 1 fonts spring to mind), and b) mention of it in a > > more appropriate forum. > > You perhaps could have sufficed with this paragraph. I guess. I didn't realise humour was Not Allowed. > Ok, look -- we already have directories like this: > > /usr/lib/kbd/consolefonts > /usr/share/groff/font > /usr/lib/ghostscript/fonts > /usr/x11R6/lib/fonts > > Would it not make sense to have something for TTF fonts, since AFAIK > there's nothing currently in place? That's all I was saying. If we had If I was unclear about this - yes. It would make sense. I don't think many people would disagree with this, really. Note, however, that Type 1 fonts are commonly in at least two places at the moment (for X and ghostscript) - that is, they need this at least as much as TTFs - hence the hierarchy idea, so you could put everything under (say) /usr/share/fonts. > come to some consensus, then we could have promoted the idea elsewhere. > > If you feel that having a TTF directory is an inherent rip-off of M$, then I don't - I thought MS (and esp. the irritating Mr. Ballmer) just might, in their paranoid way. It was a joke. > programs that use TTF fonts can just include the fonts in the source > tarball. I was hoping to avoid 10+ programs that all included Arial, but > maybe that's what'll have to happen. Let me try this in the style of Digitiser (I'm sure that'll mean a great deal to people not living in the UK and reading teletext :-)): It. Was. A. Joke. It's a fine idea. All I'm saying is, don't be font-format-specific if possible, and try this on (say) comp.os.linux.misc, or comp.os.linux.x, or something. Or even a non-Linux-specific group. linux-svgalib is IMHO not a great place to talk about it, because so few of the people who would be affected (or have an interest in how things would turn out) read it. > If you want an all-encompassing fonts hierarchy, with perhaps links to the > aforementioned directories, then that would be a good idea, too. Yep - I think a hierarchy is needed, as I really don't see a single-format approach taking off. And as you say (more or less), symlinks are probably going to be needed for compatibility reasons. > We all appreciate your efforts with zgv, but that doesn't give you free > reign to lambast legitimate posts. Where is your sarcastic wit when > people keep asking the same questions about setuid root? :) I don't want > to be at odds with you, but I think your last post was a bit excessive. I think you took it too seriously. I was in no way trying to be sarcastic, or anything other than just reasonably humorous (your post gave me a mildly funny idea, so I went with it - if anything, I was parodying the figures I featured in my post, and if I say so myself, I thought I had a pretty good RMS :-)). I wasn't trying to make a point with it, and I certainly wouldn't have done it if I'd thought you'd be offended. I'm genuinely sorry if that was the effect; it wasn't the intent. To be honest though, I don't think my last post was unreasonable, and I'm afraid I consider your reaction to it unnecessarily ill-humoured. I feel like I've stood up, told a joke, then been punched in the face for overreacting. Now *that* strikes me (so to speak) as ironic. I just hope *someone* other than me found it amusing, 'cos you've killed the joke stone dead now, that's for sure. Thanks for that. :-/ -Rus.
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