Welcome to the MacNN Forums.

selowitch · Jun 28, 2005, 06:53 PM

Why can't we solve the bulk of the problems with web typography by having the typeface and all their related data deployed on the web server rather than on the client machine? We did that, and all of the sudden we could have as many different fonts as we were willing to pay a website license for. More revenue for the font foundries, a better experience for the user, happier web developers.

I fail to see the downside. Folks wouldn't even have to change the code of existing pages. If a current HTML page or CSS stylesheet calls for Arial or Verdana, fine --- but it will use the version of that font that resides on the server, and will not be subject to the whims of Windows, MacOS, or Linux, nor will we have to pray that the font is available. We'll know and we'll be in control.

What do you all think?

registered_user · Jun 28, 2005, 07:17 PM

That was tried.

I think it might even still work on MSIE.

Between licensing issues, no standard format, poor support, and platform and browser issues, that idea seems to have died at least for the moment.

selowitch · Jun 28, 2005, 07:44 PM

Yeah, I heard about that. Stupid browser wars killed it.

ashtoash · Jun 29, 2005, 11:32 AM

It's simple, no one made an effective method to prevent me from stealing the fonts.

It's all fine and well that I design my site in Myriad Pro, until Adobe gets mad that their $250 font is free from my website....

Technically typefaces aren't protected under copyright law the same as software, but .. anyway you get the idea. That said search google for SIFR image replacement, for a trick to do something similar ;-)

alex_kac · Jun 30, 2005, 04:40 PM

Fonts are software and are protected under copyright law just the same.

selowitch · Jun 30, 2005, 04:49 PM

Fonts are no more stealable than any other software. Actually, if fonts were being deployed on web servers for this purpose, it could become a good and new source of revenue for the font foundries.

alex_kac · Jun 30, 2005, 05:02 PM

Only if proper DRM was implemented. We don't want to go there. And as a company owner, I have no desire to have to now pay big bucks to font foundries for the privilege of using their fonts that are already on people's machines, not to speak of the extra bandwidth a good 2-10MB font would force.

selowitch · 05:49 PM

Alex, I think you're misunderstanding my point. I would not want to do away with the method we use now to recommend fonts, only supplement it with an option to use fonts (such as OpenType) that are deployed on a server. Nobody would have to pay just to display type on web pages in the manner we do now, but they would be able to pay for better typography if they wish. What possibly could be wrong with that?

alex_kac · Jun 30, 2005, 05:46 PM

Supplementing isn't that bad of an idea except that you still end up with the same issue of greatly increasing the download time of a website.

I think Flash can embed fonts and I know PDF can, so most people who need to do that sort of thing would use those two tech to get only the subset they need.

selowitch · Jun 30, 2005, 05:49 PM

Originally Posted by alex_kac

Supplementing isn't that bad of an idea except that you still end up with the same issue of greatly increasing the download time of a website.

Well, that's a challenge but the individual designer can take that risk if he/she wishes. There are some fast technologies for this, though, like GlyphGate, although that is not exactly widely known.

Originally Posted by alex_kac

I think Flash can embed fonts and I know PDF can, so most people who need to do that sort of thing would use those two tech to get only the subset they need.

I'd like to avoid the disadvantages of those two technologies for web content if I can.