Re: Auto-installing fonts?

Not sure how this would happen.

I have designed and built a series of fonts.  These have been sold to 
primary schools round Australia, and I have personally been providing 
support for several thousand installations.

In windows95, you have to put the .ttf font files into the folder 
c:\windows\fonts  but only if they have a regular stock-standard 
installation.

In a mac, the fonts have to go inside the folder "fonts" inside the "system" 
folder.

The mac truetype format is NOT the same as the Windows truetype format, 
which are NOT the same as the Acorn truetype formula, and these in turn are 
not the same as the linux format, if all the other indications run true to 
form. (But I've never had to install a font into linux, so I can't speak 
from personal experience).  Then there's the mac users who prefer the type 1 
format fonts (Adobe ATM or postscript fonts).

Not a huge problem, because you could check for OS and give them the correct 
format.

So far so good.   But in my experience, once in a while, the fonts dont 
install just by dropping in the correct folder.  You have to install them 
manually, even though they're present in the proper place.    And some apps 
only look for fonts when they start up.  Word for example, won't recognise a 
font that's installed after it's going.

Then there's the rights issue.  The person who owns the rights to the fonts, 
does not give anyone the right to copy them anywhere holus-bolus.   Licenses 
are very specific.  I would NEVER permit my hard work to be put on a web 
site for downloading to just anyone who comes by, unless I'm paid a sizable 
sum of money for it.  You can't just put a font on your site and hand it to 
people unless you own the right to do so.  Try handing out a ITC font or a 
Letraset font willy-nilly and see how long it takes for a person with a writ 
to knock on your door.  Remember that once a font is installed to use a web 
page, it's not just available for that page, it's also available for all 
their other apps too, and can be printed, used for typesetting, signs, 
billboards, television, hell even skywriting.


It's sooo tantalising having all those fonts to use, but being unable to use 
them in web design, but for the mean time, I don't see a practical solution 
to the boring old verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif fonts just yet.


Cheers,
Mike Kear
AFP Web Development
AFP Font Development
Windsor, NSW, Australia
http://www.afp.zip.com.au


>
>Is there a way to auto-install a font simply by clicking a hyperlink? I 
>should think that
>would be an easy way of making sure a user has the necessary font libraries 
>to view any
>site one would do in a non-standard font... if possible, that is :-)
>
>Thanks!
>
>Nathaniel Bank;
>Database Lummox &
>Software Development;
>Cello Technologies Corp.
>http://it.cello.net/CelloTools/
>

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