[Openfontlibrary] Some remark about openfontlibrary.org

[Khiraly Kalman]

Hi!

I have some remark about openfontlibrary.org.

For better distinctness, I try to divide my letter into multiple part.


Goals:

* Technical documantation, all about fonts
* Lot of tutorial about Fontforge (the best fontcreator application)
* Give development platform for the fonts
* For all fonts it would be really good the make a wiki page (for the
remark, progress, fault, etc), or website maybe a forum
* Help about license, discover license problem. Help for people what is
legal/illegal. Example: as I know, there is totally legal redraw the
glyphs, call the font under other name. So the glyph itself cannot be
copyrighted, only the fontname and the fileformat (ttf, etc)
So its really possible to make free equivalent for the most used fonts
(verdana, arial, courier, etc). One example for this, is the vera font.
Its really a verdana-clon font.
* Categories
* Make a core-collection. These would be the most essential fonts,
bitmap embedded (for pdas, and smal resolution), trully international,
etc. I think there would be only 10-12 fonts in these category. The main
porpuse is that the distribution makers embed in their distribution, and
would be default on most linux based system.


# The main difference between fonts and vector graphics (art)
(openclipart vs. openfontlibrary)

* A vector art (if its time consumeable) not comparable to a full
collect of font (normal, bold, cursive; fully international)
* In general, a vector art when its done, noone develope it. So the
first version its fully workable, or remain really minor changein the
art. For a font its not the same. The most fonts are halfdone, only the
latin letters are done, or maybe some accent on it (in general latin-1
accent (french, espagnol). The other locals are missing, the font
creator not know exactly the other language, what accent have it, how
can it be designad, are there any difference between thelower case
accent and the upper case accent? The other letters are totally missing
(hebrew, cirill, arabic, etc)
* So its quasi-obligatory to make possibility to develope further, make
change in the font, etc. Must be a place individual for the font (wiki),
or a forum, for brainstorming, fault, remarks, todos.

# Fileformat

I think its NOT ENOUGH to upload just the final fileformat (ttf, ps,
ot). Because it cant be complement, develope it anymore (or without loss
of quality)
So I think it would be really good to share the fileformat of the
creator application (fontforge in general), so the .sfd files.


An example (bitmap analogie):
Its like to share the final image (.png) and not share the fileformat of
the crator program (gimp-xcf, photoshop-psd). So its nearly impossible
to make change in the image, or its really difficult.

# Vector vs. bitmap fonts

Im OK, that the vector format its obligatory for a font. In the same
time its really good to have the bitmap equivalent, its really usefull,
at the small pixel size. 

So I think the best would be upload the font (ttf) with bitmap embedded.

Its something similar bitmap art vs. vector art at small size. At the
small size (22x22, 16x16 pixel) many designer redraw the icons for
better visibility.

Jimmac have blogged about this:
http://jimmac.musichall.cz/weblog.php/Artwork/ScalableIcons.php

To my mind its really good to have pixel precise visualisation of the
font.


Finally:

I have some fonts what I have modified for myself. Complete some accent
(vera), or redraw some bitmap image at given pixel size (terminus).
These fonts are not complete (only have the hungarian(latin2) accent and
latin1 accent)
But I hope somebody want to develope for the other languages too.

However, Im not sure how its legal or not. I have made some modification
into the verdana fonts too, but Im quite sure, that I cant redistribute
it under the verdana name.

I have written this mail as a remark and for brainstorming.

I hope the project will change something, and result some really good
fonts.

Best regards, 
 Khiraly

ps: sorry for my ugly english

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